When We Say Forever
by spiffy the scribbler
Summary: Post-Van Alen Legacy. To find and secure the Gates was a daunting task, and help might just be at hand, but it'll change everything, like tipping the scales of war back in their favour, and making nice with the pissed off Angel of Death in New York. S/J
1. I Wish There Had Been Paparazzi

So I had read the first Blue Bloods novel a couple of years back, and wanted to get onto the sequels that weren't out yet, but thanks very much to other books, and school, and family drama, I only got around to buying all 3 sequels several weeks ago – and I have fallen in love again.

I'm sure you all know exactly how I feel at the moment, waiting for October's momentous occasion, desperate to know what happens next, and I'm personally quite thankful that we're going to get a Blue Bloods fix with Keys to the Repository in June.

But that is exactly what this fanfic – and all my other Blue Bloods fanfics – are: a fix; an attempt to satisfy my craving, to ease my anxiety and want for the real thing. They are by no means any good – by God, if they were! – and are certainly not everyone's cup of tea (as you may have noticed, my loquaciousness can get the better of me). So I hope these fanfics are as helpful to you as they are to me in easing the pain in waiting for Mel's awesome stuff.

**_This fic is set after the Van Alen Legacy and the epilogue._**

* * *

'This is nice, isn't it?' said a very handsome, very content Jack Force as he tore into a chocolate croissant, sitting opposite an equally happy girl on a terrace overlooking the brilliant sapphire-blue of Saint-Tropez's famed cut of the Mediterranean.

The girl sitting opposite him, Schuyler van Alen, had just emerged from their room in the Countess of Paris, Isabelle of Orleans' summer villa. Schuyler was almost unbelievably pretty, and was thoroughly unaware of her beauty, with her inky blue-black hair, and that elfish, gorgeous face that also uncannily belonged to her mother. Schuyler smiled languidly – something she could not remember doing for a very long time.

'We still have work to do.' But she took the pastry Jack offered her, chocolate still warm oozing out delectably. 'But yes, this is nice.' It was better than nice – it was heaven, being able to sleep with an ounce of safety, being able to love Jack so freely, and to know he could – and would – do the same... She felt her heart swell a little, and knew Jack felt the same when his green eyes stared into hers. And while they had a job to do, a legacy to fulfil, they weren't on the run anymore; they were under the European Coven's protection, and having breakfast together in the warmth of the Mediterranean sun was perfectly safe. And delicious.

'Sugar and cream?' asked Jack, holding the pot of espresso one of the Countess' maids had brewed in the Gaggia espresso machine that had come on the trolley with the freshly baked pastries.

Schuyler nodded for both. This felt so... Normal. And yet so odd; but only because they would have never been able to do this in New York, or anything like it. But she would savour it. They would find out all they could from the Countess, before heading to Florence to find the Gate of Time and its keeper. When Jack handed her the cup of coffee, his fingers brushed hers, and in the instant before Schuyler could pull away, Jack had put the cup down, moved his chair beside hers and pulled her into his arms.

'J-Jack...' Schuyler squirmed a little; she was so used to being remote from him in public, and now if they used binoculars, the entire Saint-Tropez marina could see Jack Force holding Schuyler van Alen in his lap. She couldn't help a small giggle when Jack pressed his lips to her hair, her temple, her cheek, down her neck and nuzzling the hollow of her shoulder.

_Love,_ he sent, _I wish we could stay here forever._

_So do I._ But they both knew that the world as they knew it was at stake, and while it was painful to think about, as long as they did it together, it would be all right. As cheesy as that sounded.

* * *

'You wanted to see us, Countess?' asked Schuyler, stepping into the sun-filled observatory of the villa. Jack followed close behind her, holding her hand, as always.

Isabelle of Orleans was standing at one of the many windows, not quite smiling, but not quite frowning either.

'Yes,' she said, without turning. 'Come, sit down. There is something I must tell you.'

Isabelle's expression was both grave and hopeful, both sorry and joyous. 'You know of how the Uncorrupted came to be on earth,' she said, when they sat down around a light-wooded coffee table, where the Countess had tea prepared. 'Of how Michael and Gabrielle followed us into banishment.'

Schuyler and Jack nodded.

'You have been told that only two of the Seven are here on earth.'

'Yes,' said Jack gravely, 'but both are presently missing. My father – Charles – he was lost somewhere when the Croatan let loose a subvertio, and Schuyler's mother – Gabrielle – has since gone searching for him.'

_This is a lie_, said the Countess, in the protection of the glom.

'No,' Schuyler argued, 'it's not. We were there when Charles disappeared, and-and then my mother...'

_No, child. That is not what I mean. What you have been told about the Uncorrupted is a lie._

'What do you mean, Your Grace?' Jack leaned forward in his chair.

'I mean,' said the Countess softly, 'that Michael and Gabrielle were not only ones who followed us here on earth.'

* * *

...It's been a long time since I've published anything here. But if you've read my before, you'll know what I'm about to ask for. If you haven't, here's the gist - if you liked it, review. If you didn't like it, review why. Review what you liked about it, or if you can tell I'm a little rusty...

The Point: REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!

I'd like to know how I'm doing after all these years.

_**PS**_ I shall now be known as spiffy! Cybong was an ancient nickname that no one calls me anymore, not even the person who made the name :'(


	2. The Noble House of Anstruther Black

I realise the last chapter was very short, but this is a fair bit longer... So there's no excuse for lack of feedback ;)

* * *

The Countess' remark could only be met with uncomprehending silence.

'But...' Jack said eventually, 'Who... And why...?'

'Gabrielle's younger sister,' the Countess answered.

Schuyler looked to Jack, to Isabelle, and then to Jack again. Gabrielle's sister as in... As in Lawrence's and Cordelia's daughter for this cycle, or were they sisters in that mysterious, celestially-bound way?

'Uriel,' whispered Jack, almost reverently.

'Uriel?' Schuyler asked, feeling slow. 'She's – '

_Your mother's heavenly sister._ The Countess smiled wistfully at Schuyler. _A Daughter of the Light, like you. Uriel the Glorious._

'But – but why?' Jack spoke for Schuyler as well; Gabrielle had followed her brethren into banishment out of love, but why did Uriel...

'She was also called Uriel the Wise,' lamented Isabelle, 'but after a while, she jested that wise was not the correct term for someone who had voluntarily taken exile from Paradise... In Rome, she was known as Aemilia.'

'Jack?' Schuyler turned to Jack again; she didn't remember anything from Rome, and there was good reason for that. 'Do you remember her?'

'I... I don't know...' Jack's brow was furrowed. He rubbed his face in frustration. 'Aemilia...'

'There was one other...' Isabelle was saying, her gaze solely on her hands around her antique Wedgwood teacup. 'One who, like Michael, followed out of love, because he could not bear to be parted from his twin. Not then, and most likely still now.' She looked up then, meeting Jack's absent eyes. 'Do you know who I speak of, Abbadon?'

Jack frowned, but Schuyler's hand on his arm provided comfort. 'Uriel's twin...' He thought hard, tried to remember not only someone he had once known, but their mate too. And then he was there, standing at the foot of the steps to the villa Cassius called home. At the very top stood two women – one was Allegra, the other... Aemilia. Jack turned to see a white stallion charging up the path... The man riding it hopped off in eagerness, bounding up the steps to kiss her, Cassius and Allegra laughing heartily at the young man's vivacity...

'Do you remember?' asked the Countess, sipping her tea.

Jack nodded, but he looked to Schuyler, and to his surprise, she smiled.

'I saw it too,' she said. Her mother's memories helped now and then. Her mother's sister... Uriel the Glorious. But even in the memory, she did not see her face well.

Isabelle sighed. _Raphael the Healer, Uriel's eternal mate._ _They too are here in this world... They are powerful souls. They led my Coven, once. But when Michael and Gabrielle left for the New World, Uriel was heartbroken she could not follow. The Four Hundred could not allow the new coven to contain all of the Uncorrupted. After that, Uriel and Raphael withdrew into themselves... They have not been seen them for centuries. No one is sure who keeps their cycles in check, or if they have taken the form of Enmortals. But I know this – they can help you. _

The Countess met Schuyler's gaze, and the younger girl saw something kind, almost heartbroken there. _Uriel will help you. And if Uriel is willing, then there is nothing Raphael would not do._

Jack and Schuyler withdrew from the glom and shared a look. 'We have to find them,' Schuyler said. 'We need all the help we can get.' And what better help than two Archangels? Her mother's sister, no less. Her aunt?

'Are you absolutely sure that you don't know where they are, Your Grace?' pleaded Jack.

The Countess sighed. 'In Rome, Uriel and Raphael were the most merciful to Tiberius Gemellus... In this life, I know him as Kingsley Martin. Perhaps he can help you.'

A low curse came from Jack.

'Oh?' the Countess asked.

'Kingley...' Mimi had told him what had happened to Kingsley that day – that he was trapped in hell after dragging Leviathan with him. 'Kingsley is gone.'

* * *

'This is all I know,' said the Countess of Paris, Isabelle of Orleans. 'I am truly sorry that I cannot help you more.'

'No,' Schuyler said, smiling, 'you've helped us so much already. Thank you, Your Grace.' She turned to Jack, who was standing by the stairs into the Countess' private jet. The Countess had sent word to Coven members where they were going – they now had to track down Kingsley's social circle. According to Isabelle, that included the stacks of British aristocracy and royalty; Blue Bloods made up the entire list.

'Oh, and Schuyler...'

'Yes?'

'When you find her... Send my regards. I do miss her and Raphael terribly.'

Schuyler smiled hopefully. 'Of course, Your Grace.'

* * *

Jack was stroking the silky black hair on Schuyler's head, and was quite content to continue doing so, until said girl interrupted his mantra.

'Jack?'

'Hm?'

'Even if we talk to all those people, and we find out where they are, how are we supposed to know it's them?' She sat up, leaving Jack in the reclined seat. 'I mean, we've never even seen them before. _No one's_ seen them in centuries.' The venture to find the lost Uriel and Raphael was impossible as it was possible. They could be anywhere, _anyone_ by now. 'What if they don't want to be found?'

Jack looked into her worried face, and felt a tug in his heart. He didn't like her feeling this way – he didn't like it at all. It made him nervous, unsettled; downright dissatisfied till she smiled once more.

_We'll find them._ And then Jack gently brought her to his chest again, and not without a reassuring kiss to her forehead.

_How can you be so sure?_ Schuyler didn't fight it; she snuggled down, finding comfort in his touch.

_The Uncorrupted have a connection, a deep and powerful connection to each other, unlike anything others have. If we're talking about Gabrielle's sister, the one and the same Uriel the Glorious, then she'll know something's up. And Raphael will be with her. Love, if we don't find them, they'll definitely find us._

* * *

Heathrow Airport was having a quiet day, but Jack and Schuyler didn't notice as they walked through, and spotted the driver holding a sign saying, 'Isabelle of Orleans.'

'Miss Van Alen, Mr Force?' he asked, though he seemed sure enough when they approached. He met them eye for eye, and they could see that he was no Silver Blood through his eyes, and could sense no danger in him either.

'I do not blame you, for being so wary,' he said, when they took the moment to stare into his eyes and use the glom on him – the latter of which he deflected easily. Far too easily.

'Whose Conduit are you?' questioned Jack.

The driver smiled. 'Very good, sir. My name is Leroy – I am Conduit to Lord Lucius Fairchild, one of the Countess' arms here in England.' He stood back and opened the door to a sleek new XKR Jaguar, taking their bags to the trunk.

'Not too long a flight, I assume?'

'No, not at all,' replied Jack. Saint-Tropez was only a few hours by air from London. Schuyler, on the other hand, had already fallen asleep into the crook of his shoulder. Jack smiled.

* * *

Lord Lucius Fairchild was not half as impressive-looking as his name. He was of average height, of average build – the only thing that really struck Schuyler and Jack was his enthusiasm.

'Oh, good morning to you!' he said jovially. He motioned for refreshment, and a butler came in silently, put down a gleaming silver tray, and left. 'Tea, coffee? Apple juice? Whisky? The single malt from the Campbell's distillery is quite wonderful, I must say...' He poured himself a glass of it, and savoured the taste visibly.

Jack knew Schuyler wouldn't help herself – she was far too shy – so he poured her a glass. 'Lord Fairchild –' he began.

'Lucius, Lucius, please! And I am fully aware of what you are here for – Isabelle has informed me, and I wish you the best of luck. Lawrence was a dear friend to me indeed... And on the quest for the lost Uncorrupted, I hear. My, my, you'll have your hands full.' He smacked his lips.

'Do you know anything?' Schuyler asked tentatively.

The brightness seemed to fade in Lucius' face for a scant moment. 'If I only knew anything at all,' he said sadly. 'I have missed them very much. I can only perhaps point you in a direction – it may not even be the right one. I know Kingsley, as a Venator, kept records of things. If you checked his flat in Chelsea, perhaps you might find something to aid you in your quest.'

* * *

After checking into their hotel and dropping their things off, Jack and Schuyler took a cab to the address given to them by Lord Lucius; the flat building was of white stucco, and had once been one of the many houses in town the upper class kept for themselves during the season. Since then, it had been turned into a series of luxury flats and apartments.

'Here's the key,' Schuyler said, tipping the envelope given to her by Lord Lucius; a single key slid out into her hand. 'It's number 5.' She and Jack climbed the two sets of stairs, and sitting at the very top was the lone door number 5.

But it was already open.

Jack put a hand out in front of Schuyler, taking the first careful steps. What if Silver Bloods were here? Were they too looking for signs of the lost Uncorrupted? _Hush_, he sent. _Let me go first._

_No,_ Schuyler sent back. _If there is more than one, they might take you. If we go together, it would be harder for them._

Jack looked disapproving for a moment, before he nodded. _Very well._

A split second had not passed before they moved through the door together as swiftly and as silently as their skills would allow – but waiting for them inside was no threat. At least, it didn't look like one.

'Oh!' A startled girl, who couldn't have been older than they were, jumped up in fright. She was extremely pretty, with dark chestnut hair, and was dressed in a Venator's uniform. 'They must be teaching the young ones well these days.' And she didn't look a bit worried that she had been interrupted by complete strangers.

'Who are you?' demanded Jack, his arm still held protectively in front of Schuyler.

The girl looked both puzzled and amused. 'I'm no Croatan, I promise.' When she smiled, something in Schuyler eased; some part of her felt safe again. She'd never met her before – hell, she'd never met anyone English other than Kingley and who she'd met today before, but this girl was as English as spotted dick.

'Prove it,' said Schuyler defiantly, despite feeling that she was as much a threat to them as the next pillow.

The beautiful girl sighed. 'What do you want me to do, show you the back of my neck or something?' She turned, lifted her long, sleek hair and showed them her nape. 'Not a Silver Blood, see.' She began piling things into a box, as she had been doing before. 'Look, I'm just a friend of Kingsley's, okay? After what happened in New York...' She looked mournful, undeniably sorrowful. 'I didn't think he'd want this place to gather dust.' She picked up the box and walked into an adjoining room. 'So,' she called, 'who are you people again?'

Schuyler began to follow, before Jack's cautious hand took her shoulder. 'We're looking for someone.'

The girl returned, cocked a hip and laughed – a soft, beautiful sound. 'Aren't we all.'

'Someone Kingsley used to know,' said Jack. 'He might be the only link to them.'

'Someone he _used_ to know?' queried the girl, raising a perfectly shaped brow. 'Who exactly are you looking for?'

The pair before her looked at each other.

_Can we tell her?_

_I don't know. She seems safe._

'_Seems' might not be safe enough._

_But if she knew Kingsley, she might know where they are, Jack._

_We don't even know if – _

'You know, I still don't have the faintest idea who the hell you people are?' interrupted the girl airily, examining her nails.

'I thought it was polite for someone to give their name before asking for someone else's,' challenged Jack.

The girl smirked. 'That is true, but I'm the Venator here, so I'll be asking the questions.'

'Jack used to be one!' said Schuyler. 'He – '

'So, you're Jack,' the girl noted, tilting her head. She drew her gaze to Schuyler. 'And you are?'

_Look,_ Jack sent. _There, on the desk._

Schuyler glanced, but the girl saw too; in an instant all three sped across the room, but the mysterious girl snatched it away and tore out of the room, Jack and Schuyler biting at her heels.

_Did you see it?_ Jack could still see her as they whisked through the London streets; she was fast, no doubt, but he and Schuyler were no slowpokes.

_A little. It was some sort of crest..._ Schuyler glimpsed the girl head straight into the Dorchester Hotel. _That way!_

The pair managed to see the girl disappear behind a set of double doors; she winked at them, right before she slid away. They moved to follow her, but then more people began to go in and out of the doors; a well-dressed man in a suit entered, right before a mother and two noisy toddlers, and then a young couple left, followed by an elegant elderly woman whose hair was only greying at her temples.

Schuyler looked as though she was beginning to lose hope, but Jack took her hand and pulled her along gently, opened the doors –

It was a restaurant. And there was no sign of the girl.

_She has to be in here!_ Jack let his eyes drag over everyone – but upon inspection, he realised that nearly half the place was filled with blue bloods. _Shit..._

_Maybe she transformed,_ suggested Schuyler. Although maybe was probably a definitely. But they certainly couldn't go around interrogating every single blue blood in the hotel. _She was fast. Really fast._

'Welcome to Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester,' An immaculately dressed waiter had appeared and looked quite puzzled; it was not odd to have the young offspring of London's elite as clientele, but even he could see that they were quite, quite different from the usual Sloanes. 'Do you have a reservation?'

* * *

'This is what I remember,' Schuyler said, showing Jack the sketch of what she recalled of the crest at Kingsley's flat. They were in their suite at The Bentley; she leaned over on the cream-upholstered sofa – Jack pulled her snugly into his arms – and lifted the drawing.

It was rough, but Schuyler distinctly remembered the lion and the unicorn, the swords and the cross on the shield, and most of all, the Latin inscriptions.

_Deus est meus tantum sentio_

_Diligo lux lucis meus via_

'God is my only judge,' said Jack softly, running a finger over the first line. 'Love lights my path.' He pressed his lips to Schuyler's hair. 'Maybe Lord Lucius will recognise this.'

'I hope he does.' Schuyler lifted her head, to see Jack gazing at her in the tenderest way she had ever seen him.

'Love lights my path,' he whispered before he kissed her, sliding his fingers into her soft hair. She would always light his way.

* * *

'Why... Why, yes, I recognise it,' Lord Lucius said the next morning, putting his coffee down. He laughed, adjusting his spectacles. 'Yes, there's no doubt about it.'

'Could you tell us where it's from, Lord Lucius?' asked Schuyler.

Lord Lucius nodded. 'This, my dear,' he said, tapping the paper with the backs of his fingers, 'this is the family crest for the noble house of Anstruther-Black!' He chortled, wiggling his moustache. 'A very powerful family of blue bloods, I'll tell you. Quite close to the Countess as well. The current head is the Duke of St Ives, Lord Sebastian. I wasn't aware Kingsley Martin was in close ties with him, but then again, secrets were the name of his game... Lord Sebastian was once known as Shamsiel. If you need more information I suggest you check the Archives at the club...' Before he said another word, Leroy glided in with a telephone on a silver tray. 'Ah, yes, thank you Leroy... Now...' He turned to Jack and Schuyler. 'Will you be requiring an audience with His Grace?'

* * *

If the Latin motto things are a little off, that's because I used some crappy translator.

Now, what did ya think? Is it progressing too fast? Because some of my other stories drag on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on, so much so that I forget where I'm going. I'm just trying to keep this in the bang-bang style of Melissa's, okay?

REVIEW, MY PRETTIES, REVIEW!! Of course, if you don't, I could always hold the next chapter hostage - and if I do say so myself, it's a good one! Lotsa lotsa interestin' stuff!


	3. Perryton House

I've gotten good, albeit meagre, response, so here's the third chapter. I was reading the first and I realised it was actually kind of crappy. But anyway.

* * *

They were scheduled to meet the Duke of St Ives tomorrow morning; His Grace was presently unavailable till then, so Schuyler and Jack took Lord Lucius' advice and were led by Leroy to the Archives sitting below what was known to red-bloods as White's, an exclusive gentleman's club officially dedicated to the arts, but unofficially, it was the Blue Blood headquarters within the United Kingdom. The Archives was the London's answer to the Repository, and so Jack and Schuyler started off looking for anything on Kingsley, aka Tiberius Gemellus, himself – but, unsurprisingly, like the Repository, there was nothing. At least, nothing that could be found there. Leroy directed them to the records related to the Anstruther-Blacks and the dukedom of St Ives, before leaving them to work.

'Duke of St Ives, currently Lord Sebastian Miles Northcott Anstruther-Black...' Jack read. 'Shamsiel, Guardian of the Sun, Leader of the 365 Legions...' Jack read on, and then told Schuyler, who was looking at the Anstruther-Black histories, what he'd found. 'His twin is Hasdiel, Angel of Benevolence, in this life known as Her Grace, Lady Charlotte Philippa Anstruther-Black... Sky – Sky, look!'

Schuyler looked to where Jack's finger was on the page. 'Shamsiel and Hasdiel... Companions and Chief Aides to Uriel!' She beamed. 'If anyone knows where Uriel and Raphael are, it's going to be them! The Duke has to know!' She turned back to the document she was examining, and as she went down the page, she noticed something. 'Jack...'

'Hm?' He turned to her. 'What is it?'

'Lord Sebastian and his wife aren't just twins...' She showed him the family tree, how there had been no one before them. 'They're Enmortals. There must be a spell that keeps the red bloods noticing the last few Dukes and Duchesses have been the same.' On the tree, it began with the first Duke of St Ives, and then the second, and the third, and it went on till the present 27th, but the names for the last 7 had not changed – Lord Sebastian Anstruther-Black, Shamsiel, and Lady Charlotte, Hasdiel. What Schuyler found next made her jaw go slack. 'Oh my God...' There had been several recorded cycle births from Lady Charlotte and her husband – but what was so uncanny was...

'Look,' said Jack, ' every daughter Lord Sebastian and his wife had... The soul reincarnated each and every time – '

' – was the same one,' finished Schuyler. And then she saw it. The name given to each child of Lord Sebastian and his wife varied, but the soul and Blue Blood who was born remained the same.

_Uriel._

'It says here that the last time Uriel was cycled in was in 1787...' Schuyler's hope was still alive. 'So she and Raphael could... They could choose to be Enmortals too, right?'

'I guess,' Jack said, 'but we won't really know till we talk to the Duke...' There was something odd about that. Michael and Gabrielle themselves never chose the way of the Enmortal, so what did Uriel and Raphael have to gain from it? Hiding from the others, sure, there might have been some perks, but it all just didn't sound right...

_What is it?_ sent Schuyler.

Jack didn't want to worry her, so he shook his head. All would be resolved tomorrow anyway. _Nothing. I just wish we could see the Duke sooner._

Schuyler smiled; hope beaming from her, before she continued to read. 'The Anstruther-Blacks have had daughters recently,' she said, 'but it doesn't record any of them being Uriel.' The Duke and his wife had apparently had a daughter about two centuries after Uriel's last cycle, and another a century after that, and another, and the latest had been born seventeen years ago. 'It says that it's been Cassiel, Beholder of Tears.'

* * *

One of Lord Lucius' drivers took them to Perryton House, the Duke of St Ives' ancestral country seat, located in the county of Hampshire. The car snaked through the lush countryside, like a sleek black animal racing through the green.

'It's beautiful here,' breathed Schuyler, her eyes drawn to what lay on the other side of the glass of the window.

'You haven't seen anything yet, miss,' smiled the driver.

Jack could only smile as Schuyler practically pressed her nose against the glass and stared. She was adorable this way.

The car turned into a gravel road, marked by elegantly wrought gates. The long, winding drive was lined with various ornamental trees, and gave way to the vibrant, rolling grounds; the car crossed an old stone bridge where a temperate river gurgled beneath, and then from the verdant greens and flora, a smooth stone building rose majestically, its true size and magnificence revealed with every inch closer they drew towards it. It was an insult to call it a house; it went beyond the primitive power of a castle, and was far more substantial than the pretty splendour of any palace. And yet, as the car drew nearer, the warm grey stone did not seem cold, did not repel with superior indifference. The sun beaming down lit up the architectural beauty of the house, and was far more welcoming than it should have been.

They pulled up by twin staircases; beginning on opposite sides of the landing, and ascending to a central point, held up by an arcade. Two footmen were waiting for them.

'Forgive me for keeping you waiting,' said the Duke of St Ives as he sat down with Jack and Schuyler in the eastern drawing room, a sumptuously decorated space, both tasteful and luxurious, and so evidently well-loved, the warmth of a family seemed to have left an imprint; Lord Sebastian came in from the terrace adjoining. The Duke was an incredibly handsome man, with honey gold hair, razor sharp cheekbones and a straight, aristocratic nose. His jaw was square; the lines of his face were austere, but a boyish smile curved his thin mouth. His eyes had a mischievous, enigmatic glint to them. He was followed by a red bloodhound and a golden English cocker spaniel; the hound lay both leisurely and obediently at his master's feet, while the spaniel panted happily, first pouncing on the Duke's knee, before cheerfully wandering to Schuyler, barking as she nestled comfortably by her legs.

'Hey there,' said Schuyler, rubbing the dog behind her ears; the spaniel rolled over and Schuyler responded by rubbing her belly, reducing the dog to a quivering jelly of delight. She was no bloodhound, but Schuyler was somehow reminded of Beauty; she felt safe, comforted.

The Duke smiled warmly. 'I like you already.' At the two teenagers' baffled expressions, he said, gesturing to the golden creature at Schuyler's feet, 'It is a good sign when she trusts you.' He chuckled. 'Let us be quick with introductions; I am Lord Sebastian Anstruther-Black, twenty-third Duke of St Ives. And of course... You already know that. I have been informed of who you are – runaways from the New York Coven – son of Charles van- I mean, Force, and daughter of dear Gabrielle van Alen.' He snapped his fingers, and a footman came in to pour from a crystal decanter on one of the dark end tables. 'But beg my question... What is it that you want?' He swirled his drink inside the Baccarat crystal thoughtfully. 'What could I possibly offer the van Alen Legacy?'

Jack spoke first, 'Your Grace, I'm going to be frank –'

'We're looking for Uriel and Raphael, Your Grace,' Schuyler said abruptly. 'And we have reason to believe that you might know where they are.' They were so close. She could feel it.

Lord Sebastian was silent, his expression as neutral as Switzerland. He took a careful sip of his liquor, his dark eyes never leaving Schuyler's. He and all of his lean handsomeness, dressed in classic hunting attire complete with beige Barbour coat and leather boots, was sprawled over the great armchair like a true royal, his long limbs dominating the small space. 'I am terribly sorry,' he said eventually, tearing his gaze away to look to the side for a moment, 'but you must have been misinformed.' He laughed feebly. 'I have not laid eyes on my beloved Uriel, or Raphael, in years.'

'But the Archives say your wife Lady Charlotte gave birth to a daughter,' Jack went on, 'several times. All of them were Uriel, weren't they?' He could feel Schuyler's heart sinking beside him; he took her hand and held it tight.

'That would be correct.'

The voice came from the door opposite the one Jack and Schuyler had entered through, and a beautiful woman with dark hair walked in. She sat on the armrest of the chair Lord Sebastian sat in. 'I have been Uriel's mother for each and every one of her cycles.' The golden spaniel at Schuyler's feet sprang up, barking blissfully, pouncing into the Duke's lap in order to put her head into the Duchess'; she was received warmly, with a rub and kisses and coos. 'But I have been unaware of another since her disappearance. I do not know if she has cycled since then, and I do not know where she is now.'

The Duke leaned upward to kiss the woman on the temple. 'Jack, Schuyler, this is my wife, Lady Charlotte, my Duchess.' He let his wife take his drink and refill it. 'Darling?'

'Oh,' said the woman named Lady Charlotte, drawing the pair opposite's gaze as she tilted her head, 'we're already acquainted.' She smirked. 'To an extent.' When Schuyler and Jack shared another confused look, she said, 'You haven't forgotten me already, have you?'

And then she winked.

* * *

'_You!'_ gasped Schuyler. She was in shock; she should have recognised her, but the girl they had encountered the other day had been so young... Schuyler wanted to kick herself; of course she had looked young, she had probably intended to.

'Ah, and she remembers.' The Duchess smiled kindly. 'And you, Abbadon? You did not seem the type to forget things so easily.'

'Why were you at Kingsley's flat?' Jack's words were low and serious.

Schuyler realised too – Lord Sebastian claimed he had not seen Uriel in years, and yet, his wife was at Kingsley Martin's flat, one of their only leads to her and Raphael, and then she had fled from them, taking her and her husband's crest with her. Surely, surely that was not sheer coincidence?

Lady Charlotte crossed one perfect leg over the other, much like any teenage girl would. 'I was in Chelsea to pack Kingsley's things, like I told you.' She laughed quietly in her throat. 'I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate the lack of care when he returns.'

'But why did you run from us?' asked Schuyler. 'Why didn't you just tell us who you were?'

'The same reason you didn't,' she replied simply. 'How could I be sure you were not a threat?' She downed the rest of her glass ruthlessly, ignoring her husband's semi-annoyed face now that he had to fill it up again. 'I had to make sure you were who you said – or didn't say – you were.' The Duchess stood; she was tall, slim, and her complexion was that of luscious cream. 'Now, you are staying over, are you not? If not, I insist that you are. There have been too few visitors to this house of late.' For an instant, true sorrow etched into her features. 'This home was made for a family, not for show.'

'I must ask you again to forgive me,' said the Duke as they ate dinner in the formal dining room; a ludicrously long, mirror-shine table in a richly panelled room. 'I cannot stop her when we have guests.' He was referring to his wife, and the fact that she had not only insisted on a literal feast in the formal manner (complete with the heirloom crockery and golden roasts of every kind) but had also given Jack and Schuyler the very best guest room. 'We have not had company for quite some time.'

'Hush,' scolded the Duchess, although she was smiling. She then turned to Schuyler, who had looked slightly uncomfortable all evening. 'Schuyler... I understand your distress in not finding what you had hoped with me and my husband. But you will find them, I am sure of it.'

'Thank you, Your Grace,' Jack said, when Schuyler nodded meekly. 'It's just that... It's just that we have nowhere else to look; we have no leads concerning them at all.'

'We are sorry we cannot be of more help,' said the Duke gravely, sipping his wine from a goblet. 'Truly.'

* * *

'_Gabrielle!'_

_Gabrielle rushed toward her, embraced her as though she might not let go. 'My Uriel, my sweet Uriel... Darling sister, you will protect her, won't you?'_

'_Of course,' said she, 'always.'_

'_Why do you hide?' asked Gabrielle. 'Why do you hide from her?'_

'_I do not hide,' laughed Uriel, shaking her head. 'But I must be found.'_

'_But why?'_

'_Why did you swear to take no other familiar after Stephen?'_

'_That is different.'_

'_Perhaps. But your daughter must find the strength to carry on the search for me, if she is to find the strength to fight against the Croatan. She must learn this first. We must crawl before we walk, Gabrielle. Only then can we run.'_

'_Sometimes I wonder who is the elder between us, you or I,' laughed Gabrielle. She touched her sister's face, kissed her forehead. 'I love you, my sister. You must stay safe. And I beg you, protect her, help her. Please. She is as precious to me as you.'_

'_You need not beg nor ask,' Uriel said, smiling. 'You need not tell me she is precious, for I know this.'_

'_I regret leaving you, still.'_

'_You mustn't; you would do better to put your efforts elsewhere. There would be many things you would be without today if you had not.' She smiled. 'I will wait for your return. These dream visits of yours begin to sadden me. Promise me we will meet again.'_

_Gabrielle felt the back of her eyes sting. 'I promise. May the Almighty be with you.'_

'_And you, dear sister.'_

I'd love some feedback. Did this chapter not make sense? I was worried the Archive scene would be confusing...

Now go on and click Review :)


	4. A Mother's Tears

You know, I don't even know if the rest of this story is worth uploading :/ I've gotten virtually no reviews, so I don't really know if you guys think this is any good or if it's worth reading. I don't even know if there are things people think should be fixed, or if the flow of the plot isn't working or anything.

I mean, really. I'd appreciate a little feedback.

* * *

'I just can't believe that we're at such a dead end!' Schuyler was sitting on the enormous four-poster bed in the best guest room in Perryton House. She groaned in frustration, rubbing her eyes. 'Do you think there's something they're not telling us?'

Jack emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered, dressed all for bed, rubbing an Egyptian cotton towel over his head. He smiled, but only because she was adorable like this too. 'There could be.' Maybe there was something that they weren't being told, but Jack felt as though they were only scraping the surface anyway. Despite the apparent dead end they were at, he was optimistic, strangely enough.

'It just feels like...' Schuyler sighed as Jack came to sit by her on the bed. 'I just wanted to meet her. When my mother woke up, she left again so suddenly, but... If I met Uriel, I thought... I thought maybe I... I don't know, I thought it would make it easier. I mean, she's my mom's sister and all. I thought I could get an aunt or something.' She brought her knees to her chest. 'I wanted a mom who stuck around and _was_ my mom... Maybe it's a little much to ask from someone like her, but...' Lawrence had been the closest thing she'd had to a family member who had treated her like – well, family. And he had been taken away from her far, far too soon...

Jack put his arm around her, rubbing her arms. 'Hey... We'll find them, ok? I promise.' He wanted to make her feel better, to make everything feel right again, but he wasn't quite sure how. So he held her, and whispered assurances and promises that he knew he could deliver. That he would always be here for her, even when all else went to ash. That everything would be all right. He believed they would find Uriel and Raphael. Why he believed it, he had yet to really figure out, but Jack was chalking it up to faith.

It was then they heard a scratching at the door. And then a bark.

Smiling, Jack went to open the door, and a large golden ball of fur came bounding in like a ball all the way to the bed to Schuyler. There, the dog nuzzled kindly and comfortingly into Schuyler's arms.

'Hey girl,' Schuyler said, heartened by the dog's appearance, 'you picked the right time to drop in...' She scratched the spaniel's ears and let herself hold on to the dog; she felt confident when she did, felt better.

Jack lay down beside them and let the dog sniff his hands curiously, before barking and panting in obvious approval. 'You know,' said Jack, rubbing the dog behind her ears, 'We don't even know your name.'

But it didn't matter. Schuyler had fallen asleep holding her, and Jack had fallen asleep holding Schuyler.

* * *

_Do not lose hope._

Schuyler looked around; she knew she was dreaming, but she was still at Perryton House, sunlight shone through the tall windows, and she was alone in the bed, except for her mother, who sat at the end. 'Mother,' she said, crawling over and curling up in Allegra's arms. She felt like she wanted to sob, to stay in her arms forever. 'I missed you so much... I don't know what to do.'

Allegra stroked her hair and said, 'Keep faith. When the time is right, they will reveal themselves.'

Schuyler looked up at her, her radiant, transcendingly beautiful mother. 'Your sister...'

Allegra's smile glowed with something Schuyler could only recognise as joyful, jubilant love. 'Yes.'

'Is she like you?' Schuyler knew there were no leads left; they were groping in the dark now. Nothing to do except ask around and hope someone, somewhere, knew something.

Green eyes twinkling, Allegra only smiled again.

Schuyler tried to imagine her mother, composed and graceful, with a younger, immature sister. Tried to imagine them in the typical red-blood mould of responsible, chiding but loving elder and the gleeful, adoring and so much more wild and reckless younger sister...

'We were like that, sometimes, but you would be surprised,' said Allegra, a sweet laugh escaping her lips. 'She was also called Uriel the Wise. There were moments that made me wonder how she came to be the younger of us.'

Was she as serene as her mother? wondered Schuyler. So calm, so unendingly collected? Had Allegra been around when she was growing up, Schuyler knew she would have known her mother so much better. She wanted to know her. Her likes, her dislikes, her favourite colour... Whether she preferred New York in balmy heat, or chilly white snow. What ice cream flavour she liked best, how she'd met Stephen Chase, her red-blood father... She would've been around to ask how her day was at school, to listen and to tell her that she was proud of her, to say that she believed in her... Schuyler might have believed that she and her mother would one day have something that remotely resembled what she truly wanted, but...

'Our time will come, my daughter.' Allegra held Schuyler's face with one hand, stroking her cheek with her thumb. 'You will know me, do not worry. I am sorry I was not there for you. To not watch you, hold you and guide you, hurt me every single day'. Her face was the face of pain itself. 'I am sorry. I hope one day you'll believe that.'

'I do,' Schuyler cried, 'I do.'

Allegra smiled wryly, the first time Schuyler had seen her do anything like it. 'But you have not forgiven me,' she said.

'I – I...' Schuyler truly did believe her mother was sorry. She believed her mother was hurt – but so was she. Even when she had asked, begged for Allegra to say something, anything, give some sort of sign that she was listening, that she even cared... All the years of do or die, of being alone, knowing her mother was so close, but farther away than any of the stars in the sky. And to know that Allegra all along had the power to rise from that stupid hospital bed, if she would only take the blood...

'When your father died, I... I couldn't take another familiar,' Allegra said. She looked to her lap. 'I felt that I would betray him if – '

'Would he have wanted it that way?' Schuyler said, unable to stop herself. 'Would he have agreed if he knew it meant his daughter would be left alone?'

'It was not that way. I never meant to leave you – '

'But you did!' Schuyler was crying again, staring at her mother, feeling both angry and betrayed, and wanting to yell, to scream and shout at the woman who was supposed to be her mother, but in reality had been no better than a stranger. 'You left me. You say it was for my father – but you must have known it meant leaving me alone!' It became harder and harder to believe that Allegra loved her at all; there wasn't much to show for it. A dreamy vision here and there, little better than an hour of time, and a magical sword were all well and good, but Schuyler would have been happy with just a birthday card. A laugh, or a nag. A smile every now and then. 'You couldn't have loved me...'

Allegra said nothing, only staring back at her with something Schuyler couldn't read. Her voice was calm still, but beneath the mask it shook, ever so slightly. 'I am sorry, Schuyler, for the pain my decision caused you. I love you. I do, and the fact remains whether or not you believe me, whether or not you forgive me. I love you, my daughter, and never forget that.' It was then that it happened – her face seemed poised, almost as though any second it were going to break into pieces, and as though in slow motion, Schuyler watched a crystal tear fall, rolling down her flawless skin and dropping with a nearly inaudible sound against the sheets.

Schuyler froze, and then a horrible wave overcame her. She was sick with shame. 'M-... Mother... I didn't mean... I didn't mean to say –'

Her mother smiled sadly. 'Yes, my daughter, you did.'

'No – no, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry – forgive me, Mother, I just – I just...' _I just wanted you to be there for me._

'I know; I understand. My actions were never meant to cause you pain, Schuyler. But they did – I see that now. I made you feel alone, and if I could take even one moment of that suffering away... I forgive you, my daughter, because you are right, and because I love you. Because I know that you feel I have let you down in so many ways, and perhaps, even more. But I am not perfect. And I will make mistakes; mistakes whose consequences are sometimes are paid by the ones dearest to me.'

'Mother...' Schuyler sobbed, her shoulders shaking as her mother took her into her arms and held her. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...' The scent of spring roses filled her, and she wept more.

_Hush. Hush, now._

* * *

The next morning, as Schuyler woke, she found herself holding onto Jack like as tightly as a vice. But his arms were wrapped around her, like he had fallen asleep trying to comfort her, and she began to wonder if she had spoken or cried in her sleep. Schuyler didn't get much time to ponder as she and Jack were brought breakfast by a small team of staff, who were followed by the Duke and Duchess as they knocked on the open door.

'Might we have a word?' asked the Duke, although it seemed out of place; it felt as though if anyone should have been asking permission for anything, they should have been asking _him_.

Schuyler nodded. 'Of course, Your Grace.' Sitting up beside her, Jack fought to stifle a leisurely yawn.

'I'm afraid we have not been entirely honest with you,' the Duchess said.

'What do you mean?' Although Schuyler was sure she knew.

'My wife gave birth to a daughter seventeen years ago,' continued Lord Sebastian. 'I am sure you read that in the Archives... But it was not to Cassiel, Beholder of Tears as is recorded.'

'It's not Cassiel...' Jack repeated. But why did the Archives say that? He looked at Lord Sebastian, saw his expression... 'Because you didn't want it to be! All along, it was Uriel, even after the records said it wasn't. You kept her cycle a secret.'

'Yes. But this was not only our wish,' said Lady Charlotte softly. 'It was our daughter's. That has been her wish for three whole centuries.'

'We have monitored her cycles privately, under the guise that she and her mate went into hiding.' Lord Sebastian looked apologetic. 'You must understand, this was what she asked of us, and we could not deny her, out of love.'

Schuyler felt both like she wanted to jump up and punch the air in triumph, and to also cry. The Duke and Duchess seemed different from other blue blood parents, and this seemed to prove it. They _loved_ their daughter, even if she wasn't really their daughter; they loved her truly, and not because they felt obligated to care.

_You must listen closely,_ sent the Duchess. _Our daughter – Uriel – takes a form each cycle as simply another of the fallen. It allows her to watch over the young without revealing her true nature. The same is done by Raphael; his cycles are taken care of by the Stoneleigh family. She has gone by the name Cassiel, Beholder of Tears, and he Jerahmel, Angel of Compassion. These are not their true names, the real Jerahmel and Cassiel were lost in Rome; they have been using the glom to cover themselves and to convince the coven. Even the Countess of Paris believes they are them. I must apologise for our deception last night... We could not break our promise... But I could not bear to see you so in such despair, daughter of Gabrielle._

Angel of Benevolence indeed. 'Where are they?' Schuyler clambered out of the bed, feeling so close to what she wanted to find again, so hopeful that today, there would be a victory of sorts, even if only a small one in their seemingly impossible journey.

Lord Sebastian and Lady Charlotte then looked at each other.

'They are at school.'

* * *

So, what did you think? Too melodramatic? Too fast?

Say something, people. I write not only for myself, but for you guys too :)


	5. Boarding School

4 out of 383

Those are reviews, they are; 4 out of 383 hits. And it kind of sucks. I mean, if people were bothered enough to read the story, it would be nice if they said they liked it, or if - God forbid - didn't like it. Although if you don't like it, I don't really know what you're doing on the fifth chapter. I've got chapters written up to the eleventh so far, but I'm not entirely sure that it's worth uploading.

I'm asking for response not just for my personal reassurance that my writing has actually _not _developed so much rust that it's hideous, but that it's worth my time continuing to write and upload.

* * *

Calverton Hall was, to many, a sheer symbol and reminder of the privilege and wealth possessed by the still-powerful upper class in the United Kingdom; once the grand estate of the Earl of Calverton, now a hotbed for the young, Blue Blooded elite. It was one of the several institutions created by the European Coven in order to safely regulate their young's transformations whilst providing a healthy supply of red-blood familiars and social opportunities, allowing them to keep tabs on everyone with blue in their veins.

Red-bloods had adopted the system, and by modern day standards, it was what was commonly known as 'boarding school'.

Of the total 412 students (it was said to be easier to swim across the Atlantic than to get a place at Calverton) only 165 were Blue Bloods; it allowed a multiple-familiar system to the older students, whilst providing a social learning ground for the younger, with stringent measures to ensure the _right sort_ of red-bloods were available to them as often as required. Teachers were off-limits as familiars, of course.

The school's main building had formerly been the Earl's stately home, but since had been converted into the administrative building, the infirmary, and the headmaster's and several teacher's quarters. It wrapped around the school Quadrangle, a sunny, grassy patch dotted with stone benches and a large fountain, given as a gift by Her Majesty herself. The current Headmaster, a Professor Dalton Mereweather, had been at the school for several years now, and was also of the European Coven. The school doctor, Dr Ian Vaughn, was there to ensure that Calverton's _special_ population had the right guidance and care when the transformation began to take place.

'Your Grace!' exclaimed the woman at the reception. 'I – I had no idea – we were not expecting – we were not informed – if we had known you and Lady Charlotte – ' She seemed so flustered, so embarrassed.

Lord Sebastian put up a hand to halt her. 'There is no need,' he said, his voice silkily reverberating with authority. 'Where is Headmaster Mereweather?'

'In-in his study, Your Grace...' She cleared her throat in an attempt to collect herself. 'I – I shall inform him right away.' And then she scuttled off, looking as frenzied as ever, but reappeared a scant minute later. 'He is ready for you, Your Grace.' She eyed the visitors in puzzlement.

'They are... Relatives,' soothed Lady Charlotte, taking her husband's arm as they walked away. 'From abroad.'

* * *

'Lord Sebastian, Lady Charlotte, what do I owe the pleasure?' asked a portly, rosy-cheeked man from behind an antique Louis XVI desk.

'I will be withdrawing my daughter from school,' said the Duke plainly.

Jack and Schuyler stood behind the Duke and Duchess, not sure if they were meant to really be there. Apparently, the Duke needed no explanation or reason – that he spoke at all was enough.

The Headmaster blinked. '...Right to the point, then.' He sighed. 'Will Dominic be joining her?'

Lord Sebastian smiled wryly. 'As usual.'

'Well, I cannot say no,' Dalton chortled. He knew the rank of Shamsiel and Hasdiel, knew their status in the Coven. 'You may take them as you must. My Head Girl and Boy missing are not what I had in mind for a productive term... I take it that it is _absolutely necessary?'_

'Of course,' Lady Charlotte said. 'We will find them. Thank you.'

'Ah, and one more thing...' Headmaster Mereweather peered over the Duke's shoulder. 'Er, may I ask...?'

Schuyler felt the need to shuffle behind Jack; Lord Sebastian said, 'Friends, Dalton. No concern of yours.'

* * *

The four of them walked out of the building and down the steps into the Quad; it was a bright day, and there were a few girls who were taking advantage of it by unbuttoning their uniforms and hiking up their skirts, lying together on the grass. The Calverton uniform was for the most part, modifiable; all students were required to wear the tailored grey trousers or skirt, as well as the dark blue tie, and the blazer varied – the rugby team and rowing team had their own – but all with the Calverton insignia sewn into the left breast. The white button-up required by all students was different for most – the majority of the student body wore shirts from their bespoke tailors on Savile Row, but a generic one was available with the bottoms and blazer too. Shoes were really the students' decision; boys wore anything, from Converse, von SCHMID, and Nike, while girls opted for footwear like Jimmy Choo, Miu Miu, and king of the stiletto, Manolo Blahnik. But when the Duke and Duchess stepped out, the girls jerked upward, scrambling to set themselves straight.

'Good morning, girls,' Lady Charlotte greeted; the girls were by then sitting cross-legged, as though in the school brochure, and waved gaily.

'Alice is by the fountain,' said one of them, putting her hand up to shield her eyes as she looked up.

'Thank you, Regina.'

Schuyler and Jack followed the couple, and nearly walked into them outright when they stopped, but Schuyler then knew why they did, and then she saw.

'Mother?' she whispered. She couldn't see her face, but everything Schuyler could see, everything about her, reminded her so much of her mother. Of course, who she saw was not Allegra.

But her hair was the same fair blonde, and her mere presence made the day seem more joyful, lighter. She was standing in between the spread legs of a boy who was sitting on a granite bench. One of her hands was on his shoulder, the other playing with his shirt collar. The boy had snuck a hand beneath the bottom of her blouse. She was facing the boy, away from them, and leaned down close to kiss him.

'Alice!'

* * *

_"...of all the angels and archangels by heart: and amongst the mighty, Uriel was of the mightiest. The archangel of salvation; the Light, the Fire of God. In the Apocalypse, she shall come as the Angel of Repentance, as pitiless as any demon. The sharpest sighted spirit in all of Heaven, ruler of the metaphysical planes, and guardian of the gates to Paradise itself."_

She was heartbreakingly beautiful, lustrous blonde hair cascading past her shoulders like a silk curtain over her back. Schuyler thought of only one thing; her resemblance to Allegra. That day at the shoot for Stitched for Civilisation, when she'd first realised that she herself looked like her mother, she had been stunned at the fact. But _this_... Allegra and the gorgeous girl standing in front of her could have been twins, identical ones; the similarity was remarkable. Schuyler felt as though she'd known her all her life, even though they'd never laid eyes on each other before today.

Alice didn't even reply, but she beamed (the world seemed to stop and smile with her), and ran into the arms of Lord Sebastian, who hoisted her up and kissed her head.

'Hello, poppet,' the Duke said.

What was more startling was that she was no older than Schuyler herself; Schuyler was sure that if she would ever see a photo of her mother at her own age, she would see Alice staring back at her. Her mother's younger sister... And then it dawned on her; Alice looked like Allegra, and accordingly, like Schuyler. It was not only like looking at her mother, but looking at herself too.

'I'm Alice.' When Gabrielle's sister looked at Schuyler, the latter felt two things; curiosity, and a strange sense of joy. 'You must be Schuyler.'

Schuyler opened her mouth to speak, but was unsure what to say. She saw that Alice's eyes, however, were not the same emerald green as her mother's; they were blue. Not bright, light blue – but darker, a deep glimmering sapphire. They were like two jewels, the colour somewhere between the blue of the ocean and the night sky. 'How – how did you know?' she heard herself ask; tears were at the corner of her eyes. When did she start to cry? And what was she crying for, anyway?

Alice tilted her head, and with a gentle thumb, wiped the tear that began to roll down Schuyler's cheek. 'I had a feeling.' Her smile was dazzling.

'I am sure there is much to catch up on,' Lord Sebastian said, aware of the increasing spectacle they seemed to be making. He could practically hear the questions floating around them; why were Alice's parents here? Who were the random people they had brought? And why was Alice – in short, the reigning teenage vampire It girl, minus the vampire to the Red Bloods – talking to the very oddly dressed girl? 'Er – Alice, darling, perhaps you ought to tell Dominic – oh, here he comes.'

* * *

"_... a prince of the light, the gentle-natured Raphael who brought healing from God; the fearless, the angel of invincible courage Raphael, helper in all sorrow. He who brings the darklings out of hiding, in order to show them light. The archangel of kindness and mercy, he, the defender of the innocent, protector of the weak, guardian of lovers, would heal all the wounds of man and Heaven alike through the Almighty.'_

Walking toward them was a boy, a tall, unfairly handsome boy with rich, golden hair and the kindest smile Schuyler had ever seen. The kind of smile that one expected maybe from a beloved relative, or Santa Claus; but he made it look so much better. Handsome did him no justice – he made Kingsley Martin and the Duke look like pretty boys. Schuyler thought he could have been a lacrosse player, or even a rower the way he was built; similar to Jack, but his air was stronger, his figure more powerful, commanding a definite and unwavering presence. But the smile on his face, the one that shone clearly in his steel blue-grey eyes, made him seem boyish, light-hearted.

'Good morning,' he said, shaking Lord Sebastian's hand and kissing Lady Charlotte on both cheeks.

Alice turned to Jack and Schuyler. 'This is Dominic, by the way.' She leaned into Dominic's chest when he slid his arms around her waist from behind. When she did, her face was one of utmost joy – and the world again responded; the daylight was warm, pleasant on Schuyler's skin, and wasn't too bright that she had to squint, but it brought out a radiance in the golden pair before her that was almost too beautiful to bear.

Dominic's gaze fell to the blonde boy beside the girl. 'Have we met before?' The two boys locked eyes, and for a moment time seemed to slow and stretch, before Dominic grinned. 'Well, I don't believe it. I wondered when we would meet again...' _Abbadon._

From the moment he had laid eyes on the pair, Jack had wanted to kneel, to bow his head in respect. 'It – it has been a long time since then.' Standing before him was the same angel who had welcomed him back into the Light when he, as Abbadon, with his twin Azrael, had changed sides in the war in Heaven. Michael had allowed them an olive branch, but it had been Raphael who had treated them with mercy and kindness, as though they were brethren in the Light, and not the angels of the underworld that they were. There had been no scorn, no stigma from Raphael – only his warmth and kindness and respect.

* * *

'So, this would pretty much make me your aunt, right?' Alice said, as though it were perfectly normal to have nieces the same age as you were. The four teenagers were riding in a limousine – they wouldn't all fit in the car the Duke had arrived in.

Schuyler nodded, uncertain what to say, or what to do now. It was like talking to her mother – but only on the outside. 'Did you – did you ever meet my mother?'

Alice shook her head, white-gold strands of hair shimmering with the movement. 'Not in person, no.' She tapped a finger to her temple. 'But here,' – she pointed to her heart – 'and here, yes.'

'Our memories are still incomplete,' Dominic explained.

'Yeah,' Alice said. 'But we're working on it.' She crossed one perfect leg over the other. 'To be perfectly honest with you, I was a little intimidated when I found out about me... Being _me_. I mean, it's like I'm one person one day, get told I'm someone else the next and _bam!_ – I'm another person altogether.' She laughed, a sound that put them all at ease. 'The Blue Blood thing wasn't so bad, but everything else – everything that only my parents knew – I didn't know if I wanted it at first.'

Dominic nodded. 'We had to re-learn – remember certain things in one go. Things about our real selves.' He smiled knowingly at Alice. 'When we were fifteen, when we found about being Blue Bloods, the Coven told us who _they_ thought we were. But our parents had pretty much told us everything by then.'

'That you were Uriel and Raphael,' Jack concluded.

'Yup.' Alice sighed. 'And that in a past cycle, had decided to keep those identities a secret. Still trying to figure out why, though... But we had to keep the illusion up. We didn't have the memories of the real Cassiel and Jerahmel, so we had to make everyone think we did. It wasn't so bad because our powers had started to emerge a bit earlier than most, so we'd been fiddling with them and practising for a while. But _still_. Do you have any idea what it was like trying to lie and mislead the Regis, Isabelle of Orleans?' She let out an exasperated huff. 'But yeah, long story short, the whole "Uriel the Glorious" thing kind of freaked me out.'

Schuyler felt so brimming with both trepidation and excitement she felt like laughing and crying hysterically. Alice was nothing like any of the high-ranking members of the Committee in New York – not even close. In terms of being one of four of the most powerful and important Blue Bloods on earth, she wasn't even like Allegra. She was like Bliss, or her, or any other of them; still young, and not completely absorbed by who she had once been, who she was in her past lives. Alice was like Schuyler, and the latter knew it. Schuyler had been unaware of everything and anything as far as the Committee and Blue Bloods were concerned till a couple of years ago, but regardless of who her mother was, regardless of the blood in her veins, she had not turned into Saviour of the Blue Blooded; she was still Schuyler van Alen, born and bred in New York, best friend Oliver Hazard-Perry, habit of looking like she dressed in the dark. Alice was living in _this_ life, not her past, and her power, her blood, was not dictating who she was in it. Well, sort of; she was still old money, still born into one of the most esteemed families in European nobility. Funnily enough, Schuyler didn't know what to say then. Looking at Alice, she almost felt like she was talking to the teenage version of her mother – but she had no idea what Allegra had been like at that age. But still. Schuyler felt like hugging her.

'I remember things,' Alice was saying as she examined her fingernails (manicured perfectly, of course). 'A _lot_ of things. And I have a lot of dreams about my memories – and you know, I realised that your mother and I were always in the same Expressions together.'

'Really?' Schuyler asked. 'Do you remember much about her?'

Alice nodded. 'Not everything, but I remember her.' Laughing again, she said, 'I mean, I guess being my sister and all.' She looked like she wanted to say something then, but instead turned over to Dominic. 'Dom remembers a lot too. Says I've been different in every life, but somehow exactly the same – which totally confuses me, by the way.'

'I just mean,' Dominic objected from the side seat, his face like he had explained this several times before, 'that all of your qualities of your true self are always present in your reincarnations. Everyone's are. But in every life, you're meant to be a different person, and you are; you once loved to play the piano, but you don't really anymore. But deep down, you're the same as you always are. You become complete with bonding.'

'Well thank you for that lovely trivia, Master Dominic,' drawled Alice. She looked at Schuyler and Jack. 'I know for a fact that in all of our lives, he's been the Jedi Master of making me feel stupid.'

Schuyler giggled, and saw Dominic sigh, and scratch the back of his head with a smile and shrug that seemed to say, "I'm not going to argue". He then looked at Jack. 'I don't mean to pry, but erm... You were once bonded to Azrael, weren't you? And your love for Gabrielle...' He waved a finger between Jack and Schuyler. 'I always wondered how it would happen. Well, I wondered after I started to remember everything.'

Schuyler and Jack shared a look.

'It's a really long story,' Schuyler said. 'And sort of complicated.'

'If I had a quid for all the times I've heard that in my lives,' said Alice airily. 'Come on, spill all. What am I going to do, tell on you to your mother?'

Schuyler felt like laughing; it was true. So she projected her memories into the glom to show them, as did Jack, and then Alice looked as though it all fell into place.

'Oh, _that's_ right!' she gasped, clapping her hands together. 'Kingsley told me about Mimi; then again, he'd never shut up about her.'

Jack frowned. 'What do you mean?'

Alice blinked. 'Didn't you know?'

'Know what?'

Alice shrugged. 'Kingsley's been the same since he turned into a Silver Blood back in Rome. It's not like he could cycle; there were too many memories, too many souls in his blood. The Four Hundred would never allow him the privilege of rest, unlike other Blue Bloods, after Rome. Anyway, he did the whole pining from afar thing...' She looked directly at Jack. 'But in this cycle, Azrael – I mean, Agrippina – I mean, Mimi, reacted a little differently this time. Long story short...'

'For the first time, Kingsley's feelings were returned.' Dominic's smile was both warm and playful. 'Which is much more than a coincidence, especially when you think about how you two turned out.' He seemed to have figured it out, after seeing Jack and Schuyler's memories. 'Even if it's against our law to forsake a bond, it's more than chance that both twins found their hearts elsewhere. Personally, I wondered if your love for Gabrielle would ever be returned, Abbadon.' He grinned at Schuyler. 'Seems like it worked out well.'

'Were you close with Kingsley?' Schuyler asked.

Dominic nodded, as did Alice.

'He recognised who I was in a second when we first met,' Alice said musingly. 'When I turned fifteen, before my first meeting with the Coven, my parents told me everything. But he knew. Who I really was, and what had happened all those lifetimes ago – why I seemed to be so attached to Captain Moronic over here,' – she jerked her thumb in Dominic's direction (he feigned hurt and put a hand over his heart in injury) – 'everything. The Coven believed I was someone else, and thought Uriel had gone into self-imposed exile. Apparently I was crazy good at using the glom way back when.'

'It's _because_ you're Uriel,' pointed out Dominic, as though pointing out she had something in her teeth. 'Maybe you didn't read up on your own spiel, but you're ruler of the mental plane, the metaphysical. No one's better in matters of the mind and the abstract than you are. Thoughts, ideas, creativity, insight, judgment, universal consciousness, divine order, that sorta stuff. All your specialties. You're earth's link to the spiritual.'

Alice stared at him like he'd grown cornstalks out of his nostrils. '...Who the _fuck_ told you _that_?'

'I remember it.'

' "I remember it"' mimicked Alice. 'Weirdo. Know more about me than me. Maybe _you_ didn't read my spiel, but I'm supposed to also be Uriel the _Wise_. Stop out-wising me, you're making me feel insecure.'

'I'm sorry.'

'No, you're not.'

'Sure I am,' insisted Dominic, before he reached over and hauled Alice beside him and snuggled into her. Very thoroughly.

Alice squealed and swatted like a crazy person. 'Get – off – me – you – _freak!_' She screamed but she laughed too, and Jack and Schuyler laughed with her. 'I _swear_ Dom – I swear to God – get off! – get off me – stop it!'

'Aw... Stop lying to yourself,' cooed Dominic as he rubbed his face against hers; Alice stretched to get away but there was only so many places she could go in a limo. 'You know you love me!'

'GET AWAY FROM ME RIGHT NOW GODDAMN IT, OR I WILL SCREAM BLOODY MURDER!'

Dominic paused, leaving a panting and red-faced Alice shutting her eyes in relief. 'Really?' he asked.

Alice cracked an eye open. 'Yes.'

Dominic nodded slowly and grinned at her. He shook his head. 'Nah, you won't.' And then he coddled her again, looking like a puppy as he seemed to squish against her and make baby noises.

A scant minute later, Alice had hardened her resolve and shoved an elbow deep into Dominic's ribs.

'Coochie coochie – _OW!_' Dominic coughed, clutching his middle. 'Oww,' he moaned, rubbing the spot Alice had abused.

'I told you,' said Alice to Schuyler and Jack. 'I keep wondering how we ended up together, even up there in Paradise. I mean, was I _on_ something up there? Do they have weed up there or something?' She looked satisfied as Dominic sent her a look that wasn't quite a glare, but not quite a grin either. But then, as Dominic looked at her with hooded eyes and a helpless smile as he clutched his stomach, her expression faltered. She hopped back beside him and held his face in her hands. 'Oh, I'm so sorry,' she gasped, 'I didn't mean to – does it still hurt? I'm so sorry babe, I wasn't supposed to hit so hard... I keep forgetting I hit like that...'

Jack grinned and put an arm around Schuyler. 'You know,' he said, as Alice kissed all over Dominic's face, 'I'm starting to remember her and your mother from before.' He laughed as Alice apologised over and over to Dominic – who was now insisting that he really was quite fine – and looked so remorseful that she made a priest look insincere. 'She's always been this way.' Beautiful, with a hot temper to match; she would snap at someone with a tongue as sharp as a sword, but an instant later she would be so repentant, so apologetic and docile, it was sometimes hard to believe it was the same person.

_I like her,_ admitted Schuyler. The way things were looking, Alice was undoubtedly a fun person to be around, even when she didn't mean to be.

_I know._ Jack smiled again. _How could anyone not?_ He looked over again at Alice who was as meek as a mouse, nestled quietly and contritely into Dominic's side. It was hard to say exactly why Uriel was so beloved by all; she was in a way the baby of the Seven, with the worst temper of all, but she had always been so lovely, so strong, and so pleasant to be around; her fickle nature endeared her to most. She had always been sharp-tongued, but witty. Even Lucifer had adored her. And in this life, she was a both refined and eccentric, both hot-tempered and funny; somehow an oddball with all the right qualities. She contrasted against Gabrielle in a lot of ways, but had so much in common with her sister – and it wasn't just her looks. Jack remembered now. They had the same heart, the same kindness and love; but it was Gabrielle's serenity to Uriel's volatility and precariousness that set them apart. One was tranquil, a vision of composure and patience, the other so crackling with enough energy to fuel two universes she set the sun to shame.

* * *

Alice and Dominic, my Blue Blooded OC's. Love 'em? Hate 'em? Got a reason why? Got anything at all to say - go forth and say it in a review! I mean, 4 out of 383 is kinda... Harsh, you know?


	6. Uriel, the Glorious

Thanks to a small handful of people who responded to my A/N last chapter :) I felt so giddy, I had to upload this already. I wish I could re-touch some of the previous chapters... They look so sloppy in some places :( It tends to be habit of mine for my stories to be kinda badly written in the beginning, and then slowly improve as chapters go by. Please, if you have suggestions or comments on anything, let me know. I don't bite. Unfortunately.

And to everyone else - keep reading, I guess. Thanks for sticking with me thus far :) But there's plenty more to come... Oh, no, we haven't even disturbed the sleeping giant beneath the surface...

* * *

Alice Anstruther-Black had never been a wallflower. The adored only daughter of arguably Europe's most powerful Duke, she had grown up with the world in her palm. London, Paris or Rome – the world's most luxurious, most historical cities were her playground. Ski holidays in Courchevel, summer weekends in Marbella, and when not at school, Alice lived most days at her parents' five-floor mansion in London's most desirable square. The family seat, Perryton House, was something of a country retreat, where the stables with the prized thoroughbreds, the cellars filled with lifetimes of vintages, and the natural beauty were her favourite place to relax, to withdraw from the public sphere, because even on holidays – Milan, Saint-Tropez or Barbados, it didn't matter where – she lived life in the limelight.

She was a favourite for the society pages and the Red Blood high society rag, Tatler, and as any high-born, respectable socialite would be, she was always at the season's highlights – Royal Ascot, the Henley Regatta, and the polo season's most exclusive event, the Cartier International to name a few – and as far as the parties thrown by anyone else went, her lack of presence was a death knell. Inviting Alice was one thing, getting her to actually _come_ was a whole other bucket of chops. Alice's name on the guest list was a given – whether she showed up was the deciding factor of success or failure. She was a fashion puss too; any designer worth their salt would have sold their souls for her to wear their clothes, on the catwalk or on the sidewalk. She was presently the face of Europe's most wanted designer's new collection, and regularly did shoots for Blue Blood designers and labels. Alice was an It girl, and while Mimi Force ruled New York, the entirety of Europe and its charms belonged solely to Alice Anstruther-Black. She represented both old world glamour and decadence, and more than just the life of obscenely rich and infamously famous – it was the life of the uber-privileged.

Alice's significant other had been born into the same circles, and was the prodigious heir of one of England's oldest and aristocratic families. had both awe-inspiring creativity – he was gifted with a pencil and pad of paper, and could play the piano like a virtuoso – and dazzling athletic ability, but most people who knew or had met him said he was a quiet sort of fellow, rarely speaking of his own volition save for a witty remark now and then, unless his obvious partner in crime, Alice Anstruther-Black, was present. He was Dominic Stoneleigh; polite, charming even, to all, but often did not speak much to those he did not know well. Giggling girls, swooning at the sound of his name, said that it was because he was terribly shy, though no one was sure. Dominic was simply that way. And wherever Alice was, he was almost certain to be found as well.

They had known each other from beyond the cradle; they had been raised nearly the same, been inseparable the moment they could crawl; there had been an incident when the pair were not yet one year old, and they were sitting together, playing with toys, and the Lady Charlotte had gone to lift Alice up into her arms – when, the moment they had been separated a mere inch, both children began to wail and cry. Lady Stoneleigh had tried carrying her Dominic, but the same result. It had taken hours to tear them apart, the screaming and tears flowing fast and free till they had fallen asleep, exhausted. Both mothers had said that when the babies had woken late the next morning, they had appeared very odd, almost as though they were very anxious. Alice would not laugh, not smile for her dear papa, not for a million peek-a-boos or stuffed toys, and Dominic seemed to have taken to crying every now and again, nothing able to stop him; he usually fell asleep.

Today, despite everything in their personalities that seemed at odds with one another, and regardless of what Alice ever said about being mystified at how she had ever managed to get herself attached to him, they always found themselves together. Of course...

They loved it that way.

* * *

They arrived back at the mansion just after noon, and the Anstruther-Black's head butler greeted them as they arrived, informing Lord Sebastian that lunch was prepared and ready. They followed him into the house, but as they walked through the door, a silver Mercedes came roaring up the drive, gravel and dust spitting behind in its wake. It raced toward them, screeching to a halt behind the limousine and the Duke's own Jaguar XJR.

Schuyler turned to Jack in confusion, when Dominic began to laugh. A tall, dark-haired boy sprang out, sprinting up to them – he was good-looking, in that delicate, fine-boned way that was both feminine and boyishly good-looking.

'Should've known you'd be close behind,' Dominic said, still laughing.

Alice looked nearly as amused. 'Didn't you get my message?' she asked.

'Of course,' the boy said. 'That's why I followed.' He smiled at her, before he blinked at Jack and Schuyler. 'Hi.'

'Er...' Alice bit her lip. 'They're a bit of a long story, I think.' But she then spoke to Schuyler, 'This is Huntley Belvedere, my Conduit. But speaking of Conduits...' She tugged on Dominic's sleeve. 'Where's Rupert?'

Dominic smiled. 'On holiday in Positano.'

At that moment, two dogs hurdled out the door, barking and yelping; the golden spaniel jumping onto Huntley with an enthusiasm only matched by a hyperactive child, and new, liver and tan bloodhound pouncing onto Alice.

'Hullo girl,' Huntley said, rubbing her head. 'You haven't been tearing anything up, have you now?'

'She's excellent on hunting trips,' Lord Sebastian praised, walking over and patting her. 'Thank you for bringing her. Will you be taking her home? I assume your uncle staying over has left.'

Huntley nodded. 'Uncle Oscar's gone, yeah. Can't believe he's allergic to dogs...'

Schuyler stared. The spaniel belonged to Alice's... _Conduit?_

Meanwhile, Alice was kept busy with her own dog as it nuzzled up against her and panted happily when she scratched behind its ears.

'She's missed you,' the Duchess said, smiling as Alice was attacked with a barrage of face-licks.

'Ruby – Ruby, down! Down! Ooh - oof!'

* * *

'So you're... Alice's – erm – _niece?'_

Schuyler looked at Alice – they had to be less than a year apart. 'Um. Yeah, that's the way it looks.'

Huntley did not sit down with them in the Breakfast Room, a parlour kept for informal family meals; he said he'd basically run out of school with no notice whatsoever, and his Housemaster was going to skin him alive. He had only followed to make sure Alice was all right. He kissed her cheek in farewell, and shook Dominic's hand. 'Will I see you back at school?' The room Schuyler and Jack had dined in last night was the Great Dining Room, and was apparently reserved for esteemed guests and lavish parties.

Schuyler wanted to squirm; since when had she _ever_ been an esteemed guest?

'Maybe. Maybe not.' Sadness punctuated every word from Alice, and she shrugged. 'We'll see what happens.' Ruby was resting at her feet.

'Oh.' Huntley nodded slowly. 'Ok.' And without another word, he turned on his heel and left.

'I wish he could stay,' Alice said pensively as she watched him go.

Dominic loped an arm around her from his chair beside hers. _He does too, _he sent.

'Lunch is served,' said Percy, the head butler, as trolley was wheeled in by a maid. 'Firstly, freshly picked Dorset crab crostini...'

Lunch was a lavish affair at Perryton House, but Schuyler noticed that unlike weekly 'family' dinners at the Force household, it was a warm, bubbly event, full of chatter and laughter and banter. The Anstruther-Blacks said please and thank you to their staff, and conversation over the table was more than the polite chitchat Trinity Force had been so well-versed at, although at first, it had looked the same.

'So darling,' Lady Charlotte said, reaching over and tucking Alice's hair behind her ear, 'how's school?'

Alice let her glass of wine get refilled by a passing footman. 'Mr Worthing is _such_ a righteous prick.'

The Duke snorted his mouthful of crab and coughed; Percy the head butler stifled a chuckle.

Lady Charlotte looked reprovingly at her daughter, though she was half-smiling.

'What?' Alice said, making a face that said she honestly didn't see the problem. 'He so is. Isn't he, Dom?'

Dominic, munching on bites of crisp salad, nodded vigorously.

'Anyway,' Alice sighed, as their plates were taken away and replaced with small pots of the darkest, thickest, creamiest chocolate mousse Schuyler had ever tasted. 'Xav Henderson is planning on getting him fired. Can't wait.' Alice took a look at the silky concoction before her, and as she took an un-ladylike, gigantic spoonful, said to the dark-haired teenager opposite her, 'So, why exactly did you come looking for us, again? Not that I'm not glad, but it was kind of odd.'

Schuyler thought she might have had some idea of what was happening, and so looked to Jack. 'We thought – '

'We thought you could help us,' Jack said. 'We're trying to fulfil something called the Van Alen Legacy.' Did Uriel really have no idea why they had come? Didn't she even have some sort of inner feeling that something in the universe was not right? Didn't she have a link with Gabrielle that not even Michael could match?

'Oh.' Alice didn't look in the least surprised. Even though she was the one who had asked why they were here, she didn't seem at all engrossed at their answer. 'I think your mother mentioned that once.'

'My mother?' asked Schuyler, her spoon nearly slipping right out of her fingers. 'You've spoken to her?'

'Sure,' Alice said, sounding as though Schuyler had asked to use the bathroom instead of asking about her mother. 'She visits sometimes, in dreams and stuff. And what's funny is that I can always seem to remember everything in those dreams, all my past lives and all that's happened, but when I wake up, I have to find the memory again. I can remember the dream, and what happened in it, but my memories are complete in the dream.' She looked at Schuyler's face. 'She comes to you too, doesn't she?'

* * *

'A real handful, aren't they?' Jack said as he and Schuyler walked together back to their room; the Duke and Duchess had asked for a private moment with their daughter and Dominic. 'Haven't changed much.' He savoured the smile he received, pulling her close with the arm slung around her hips.

'They've always been that way?' Schuyler pressed into his side, felt his warmth through the clothes. Alice and Dominic. Uriel and Raphael. The lost Uncorrupted, two of the mighty Seven Archangels. It befuddled her that they were such ancient, powerful creatures, when all she could see were two gorgeous teenagers no older than she was, as affectionate as they much as they bickered, and so light-hearted it was hard to believe that they had been through so much through the millennia, that they really were the old, heavenly spirits Uriel and Raphael.

'In the bits I remember,' Jack laughed, 'yeah.' He was glad they had found them. Alice and Dominic would definitely increase the chances of success in their task and, Jack guessed, would probably make things a _lot_ more interesting.

Schuyler smiled again, but raised a brow. Jack had a roguish grin on his face, and it made him look boyish, mischievous – more like the teenage vampire and less like the immortal creature of the underworld. And before she could say a word, she knew why. She let out a yelp as Jack playfully yanked her into a narrow corridor.

They were laughing as they tumbled into the dim space; distorted squares of light from the windows shone on the marble floor through the window, but it was the corridor's only light. It was not a long corridor, more like an extremely large, tastefully designed dent in the wall; the ceiling was domed, elaborate and beautifully carved, and ended in a concave wall with floor-to-ceiling windows. It was a quiet, untouched space, as though it had been relaxing a moment before they had intruded.

'Jack!' Schuyler hissed through her giggles as his arms wound about her middle, gently pulling her with him. He pressed her into the wall between the windows, his forehead touching hers as he leaned down. She could feel his breath on her face, and Schuyler slid her hands up his arms to his shoulders. He was so warm, so strong. She wanted to melt there in his arms, to be part of him forever. His gaze was so loving and so tender; Schuyler let the emeralds of his eyes stare into hers.

_My love, _he sent. There was nothing he needed to say, nothing she didn't know, nothing that would better express what he felt deep in his heart and his soul. Jack brushed his lips against hers; they clung, before she leaned upward and swung her slender arms around his neck. Schuyler. His love, his soul, his life... He pressed soft kisses all over her face, buried his face in the hollow of her shoulder. Jack inhaled, let her scent fill his senses, fill his very being. He would never leave her, not ever again.

* * *

Later, Lord Sebastian invited Jack and Dominic into the Duke's Study – his private den – Schuyler sat on her and Jack's bed, her iPhone out.

_just wanted to say hi. don't know if ur being monitored, so i won't give 2 many details, but we hav protection from the euro coven. miss u lots... say hi to ur mom for me. xoxo schuyler_

She hadn't messaged him in a while, anyway. Schuyler pressed Send, and threw her phone back into her bag. She rolled onto her stomach, and rested her chin on her hands on the mattress. Thinking about how she missed her best friend took her mind away from thinking about Alice and her mother. Allegra's younger sister was so very different from Charles and her. Alice was more than only Uriel, or anyone else she had ever been; a part of her was still a sixteen year old girl, and was afraid, unsure of everything else. And looking _so much_ like Allegra made Schuyler feel – not uncomfortable – but almost confused; that deep, aching longing for her mother stirred whenever Alice was near. Allegra had never been around, and for Alice to be so within her reach – unlike Allegra – almost literally an arm's length, alive and smiling... Schuyler stood from the bed, and walked out into light, airy hallway.

The sun fell through the enormous windows lining the hallway, and Schuyler walked through the golden bars of light as she headed towards the entrance hall, coming down a flight of stairs where she encountered a maid carrying a tray on the landing. The entrance hall had a magnificent Imperial staircase, and the maid was climbing the stairs opposite the flight one Schuyler was coming down.

'Excuse me!' Schuyler called, running after her; the maid turned, and her eyebrows went up in surprise.

'Yes, Miss van Alen?' she said.

'Um, I was wondering where Alice was,' Schuyler inquired tentatively. The maid looked at her in amusement. 'It's fine if you don't know, I'll just keep looking...' Although much had been said by Alice, Schuyler felt as though there were things _she_ needed to say, even if she didn't know exactly what.

'I was just bringing her tea,' said the maid, smiling. 'Follow me, miss, I'll show you to her apartments in the West wing.'

Schuyler smiled gratefully, and followed the maid up the stairs. Their feet padding against the marble floors, they walked into an ornately built corridor, and past a stone courtyard to a set of tall double-doors; they were white and gilded, and the only doors along the entire wall.

The maid did not knock, but she waited.

'Come in, Bella.' The voice was as clear as though it came from right beside them.

The maid – Bella – balanced the tray expertly in one hand and opened the left door.

The room they entered was the size of a small hall; the furniture – mostly a series of antique sofas and armchairs and end-tables with flowers or lamps – revolved around a central coffee table, its centrepiece a stunning arrangement of pallid cream roses, larkspur, and white peonies with the palest pink centres. The sofas and chairs were clearly French, and were all same light sky blue. On the right side of the large room sat an entire entertainment system, but despite its edgy combination of black and silver, it didn't clash with the rest of the room. The floor was covered in antique rugs, and they were worn, but priceless to the right collectors. The tall, very broad doorway opposite Schuyler led to through to something of a hallway, with a cushioned bay-window at the left, and a doorway to a private study on the right. At the other end of the hallway was the main bedroom; on one side was a monumental four-poster bed, one that rivalled Schuyler's bed at the Force's, and on the other was a great fireplace larger than a family SUV. It was surrounded by sofas and armchairs similar to the ones by the door, a coffee table also present. Reading a book on one of the sofas was Alice.

She had changed out of her school uniform, and into an apparently casual, white Alexander McQueen Asymmetric Navy dress. The book in her hands was a copy of Keats' Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St Agnes, and Other Poems. Sitting with her legs tucked beneath her, the light from the windows shone around her.

Schuyler was startled – for a moment, Alice had looked _just_ like her mother. Again.

'Your tea, Miss Alice,' Bella said, putting the tray down on the coffee table and setting out a cup and saucer.

'Thank you.' Alice shut the book and looked up, and saw Schuyler standing there nervously. She looked at her book again, and holding it up, smiled ruefully. 'I remember being so annoyed that he died so young. I had wanted to meet him very much, but I heard he was quite a… moody person.'

'Keats?'

Alice nodded. She put the volume onto the table and leaned back, observing Schuyler with a sort of smile.

'Anything else, Miss Alice?'

'No, Bella, thank you. That will be all.'

Schuyler stood rooted to the spot, not even turning to see Bella leave; she only heard the door shut behind her.

'So.' Alice shifted slightly, her back into the corner of the sofa, her words an obvious indication she wanted to know why Schuyler was there. When Schuyler remained apparently frozen, she said, 'Your mother talked about you, sometimes. When she visited in my dreams.'

What was she doing here? Schuyler felt an urge to simply stare and look stupid, because she felt she had come with a purpose, with something to say, without knowing what either was. 'I – If I'm disturbing you...'

Alice frowned, but she laughed. 'You aren't, Schuyler.' She looked then like the wise, older archangel she was. Like the way Allegra had appeared when she had awoken; serene, calm, and knowing. But the image was blurred when she grinned and asked, 'What's up?'

What _was_ up? wondered Schuyler. She thought maybe Alice could be the sort of family she had always wanted, but now she was making it awkward for herself. She thought maybe Alice could be that guiding hand – the role had passed from Cordelia (albeit minus the lack of affection), to Lawrence, and then for one brief, shining moment, her mother Allegra – but it was harder than Schuyler had anticipated. She thought that maybe, just maybe, Alice could have been a sort of surrogate to her MIA mother, like a favourite aunt. But Alice was the same age as she was in her latest Expression, and while it was comforting and pleasant, it was also odd. Alice was both Uriel the Glorious, the Wise, the Archangel of Salvation, and yet still, she was only a sixteen year old girl. 'I just... I just wanted to say...'

Alice's head tilted a little, her blue eyes kind and twinkling.

'I just...' Schuyler didn't know what it was that she wanted to say. Not a word at all.

'Come here for a sec,' Alice said, as Schuyler fiddled with her sleeve. She patted the sofa.

Schuyler shuffled toward her, moving around the coffee table to stand by the sofa Alice sat on. She tentatively moved to even out their eye level, unsure whether to sit or kneel – when Alice wound her arms around her and held her. Schuyler froze for a moment, before her uncertainty fled and she hugged her back. And then she began to cry.

'Don't cry,' Alice said softly. 'Don't cry, Schuyler.'

But Schuyler only cried harder. It was not like embracing Allegra, but somehow it was. She thought she had let out all the pain and bitterness towards her mother with her vicious words in those dreams, but it seemed she really hadn't as she held Alice tighter. She had found Alice, almost the way she had found her mother when she'd woken, and maybe Alice would leave too, so Schuyler let all the years of loneliness and resulting bitterness pour out in the form of tears like she'd never get another chance. Alice was only sixteen, but there in her arms, Schuyler found a glimpse of the immortal, shining angel she was, saw the true nature of the girl holding her.

She was once more Uriel the Glorious, the younger, beloved sister of Gabrielle the Uncorrupted. She struck hope in the souls of men who sought salvation through their penitence, and unshakeable fear in those whose souls remained unclean, unwilling to accept the Almighty's mercy. The Angel of Repentance and Archangel of Salvation, guarding the gates of Heaven, holding man's last hope for deliverance. The most volatile of the Seven, both powerful and terrible, both beautiful and fearless, like the true Flame of God that she was, both awesome to behold, and terrifying to stand against. Beholder of the Divine Fire, ruler of the mental and metaphysical planes, of all things abstract and unseen. She would one day purify the world, punish the evil and save the innocent or remorseful; as Raphael had once cleansed the earth when the sins of their fallen brethren had defiled it; in the Apocalypse, she would cleanse it of the sins men. This was Uriel the Glorious, the Wise, the Light; the Almighty's luminous, eternal warrior of wonder and ruin.

Alice's touch was gentle, but not weak, and she let Schuyler lean into her. 'Hush. Hush, now.'

Those words... Schuyler remembered that night, when she was torn between yelling and screaming at the woman who had seemingly abandoned her, and holding her so tight so she would never leave again. She huddled closer; Alice smelled of sandalwood and sweet flowers, jasmine and honeysuckle and plum blossoms, of cool morning dew and rain. Schuyler thought of her mother, of Cordelia and of Lawrence, who had all been taken away when she had needed them the most.

'I will not leave you.'

Schuyler lifted her head, staring at her with her mouth slightly agape.

'Isn't that what you are afraid of?' Alice didn't sound accusatory, but sounded as though she were doubtful of anything else being the case.

'I – I am,' spluttered Schuyler, still crying. 'But – but how did you – '

'I am Uriel,' Alice said softly, 'and part of me is the gift, and curse, to see all.' She seemed to hesitate. 'There is nothing in your heart, or your head – even your soul – that I cannot see.' Most of the time, she didn't need to; she had a very well developed talent of reading people's expressions, faces and body language.

Schuyler's stomach knotted; so this was Uriel the Wise, the enlightener of truth, the sharpest-sighted spirit in all of Heaven and earth. She knew, then, of her confusion, her anger and her pain. Her cacophony of feelings and emotions when it came to Allegra, and because her sister resembled her so, Alice herself.

'Yes,' Alice told her. 'But you should not feel so sad.' She brought her close again, and Schuyler wondered if this was what it might have been like if Allegra had ever been around to comfort her growing up. 'Your mother loves you, and Abbadon loves you. There is no need for tears.' She kissed Schuyler's forehead. 'Do not cry, daughter of my sister. It pains me to see you this way.'

Schuyler, her head against Alice's shoulder, felt herself nod. She remained in Alice's embrace a while longer, wanting to stay there, having not the option with her mother whenever she appeared. She closed her eyes, and felt the feelings in her heart, the ones of conflicting love and bitterness, subside.

* * *

I'm pretty happy with the way this turned out. I do love Alice, my little bobble of wisdom and silliness. The way Schuyler felt in this chapter - and in others - really poked a nerve for me. I really got into the whole mother-daughter relationship-but-not and the could-have-been thing with Alice... 'Twas very interesting.

Till the next chapter, in which we see- ah, right, you'll have to read it to find out ;)

spiffy


	7. Raphael, Holy Physician

So um, first thing is someone asked me if I could add more Sky/Jack stuff in the story... I realise that it has so far revolved around the search for Alice and Dominic, with some one-liners on our lovely pair, so I wrote the first scene with that fact in mind. Secondly, I've written up to chapter 17, and intend on going up to perhaps 25 or 30... I'm not too sure at the moment, but I feel that the story has taken a turn where it's now halfway or so. Just to give you all a heads up that I don't intend on making this an enormous serial.

I know this story has been up for less than a month, and so hasn't reached the total audience yet, but thanks to all (you know who you are) who let me know that they were enjoying the story. You guys have no idea how happy it makes me, and it gives me a great big shove in continuing it when I see emails alerting me of new reviews, so when this is finished, you lot who didn't say a peep can thank those who took the thirty seconds or less to give me a shout. If you like it, review. If you like it, spread the word. If you don't like it, what the hell are you doing on the seventh chapter? Thanks to the loyal few, and a friendly poke to the quiet - I get encouraged whenever I see response from anyone! :) Can't stress that enough! If you're a writer on this site, you'll know what I feel at the moment. It's amazing when people tell you what they like about your story, and what they think should happen, or how events might occur. Really. One of the most awesome feelings in the world.

So, be a nice person and let me know you're out there! I'll tell you now that people's suggestions in their reviews actually sometimes make it into the story because they're pretty damn great :D

* * *

'Sky,' Jack murmured, sliding his arms around Schuyler from behind; they had been in England for three days now, and would, together with Alice and Dominic, fly to Florence tomorrow. He kissed her hair, her ear, her nape, her shoulder...

Schuyler squirmed, giggling; he was tickling her. But she let her head fall back against his chest, let him tighten his arms and bring her flush against him. She felt his hands caress her; everywhere, and every touch was a warm, loving one. She was happy, for now. They had told Alice and Dominic everything they knew, everything that was to be done, and they had agreed to help without another moment's delay. So all there was to do now was wait, although Jack evidently had other ideas.

Jack nuzzled beneath her jaw before his lips traced a tingling line to where her neck and shoulder met. She was so warm, smelled so sweet and clean and intoxicating; he turned her around and bent his head to hers.

When they kissed, they created their own world, and when they touched, time seemed to slow itself, as though allowing them to fully appreciate the warm skin, the light fingers, the possessive hand and hungry touch.

Schuyler felt herself being led toward the bed, where she fell backward, bringing Jack with her. His weight was heavy, his hard body pressing her soft one into the mattress, but it was nice, and it made her feel safe, surrounded by him, protected and loved by him. His kisses led down the pale column of her throat, stopping to lave where her pulse beat wildly beneath the soft skin.

_I love you_, he sent, burrowing into her and pressing his face to her neck.

Schuyler toyed with his soft, white-blond hair, felt him groan in contentment at her touch. _And I love you. Always,_

_Always, _repeated Jack, feeling her small, delicate frame beneath his so well. _Always and forever._

* * *

In another wing of the house, in the private apartments of the Duke and Duchess' only daughter, lay another couple, their bodies twined together almost as much as their hearts and souls.

Dominic savoured the way they fit so well together, the way her head fit snugly beneath his chin, the way her leg draped over his hips, the way her hand lying on his chest seemed to be right above his beating heart. He pulled the blanket higher about her shoulders, and she began to stir. 'Shh.' She mumbled sleepily, and pressed ever closer.

He remembered how he had abandoned Paradise, followed her to the world of men. He could not bear to be parted from her, and even now, it was painful to be away from her; his thoughts seemed to rouse her again.

'Mm.' Alice shifted against him, her slender, shapely body moulding to his. 'Why are you still awake?' she queried sleepily, her head still against his shoulder, her eyes still closed. But she knew what had crossed his mind, what had crept into his thoughts – she always did, even when he tried to hide it. 'I always said you were a fool for following me.'

'I would be a fool if I didn't.' Dominic smiled dryly to himself, his gaze on the canopy of the bed. He held her closer, brought her fingers to her lips and kissed her knuckles.

Alice snapped her eyes open and pushed herself on her elbows. 'How? You would have remained in the light of the Almighty, in Paradise...' He had never had a real reason for coming down to earth – except that of being with her, and the moment Alice had begun to remember it, when the memories had started flooding back, she felt frequent bouts of guilt for being the reason he was damned to this sort of existence.

'My Paradise is where you are,' Dominic murmured, cupping her face with a hand. 'You are the other half of my soul, my very _heart._'

_And you are mine_, sent Alice. _But I have condemned you to this. I have condemned the gentlest spirit in Heaven to banishment. I am guilty._

'You are not,' Dominic said, as Alice pressed her lips to his palm. 'This was my choice, as it was yours to follow Hasdiel and Shamsiel. They were dear to you, but I doubt as nearly as you are to me.' He gently brought her head to his chest again, and whispered, 'Sleep, love. And know that even if the Heavens decide that you no longer love me, and leave me, I will never leave you.' When Dominic sensed her breathing even, knew that she had fallen asleep again, he found that he could not, afraid somehow that if he closed his eyes, she might disappear.

* * *

Schuyler found herself, at two in the morning, awake, and amusing herself with the sight of Jack sleeping. She did not know what had roused her, but now that she was awake, she had realised that Jack was just as infinitely beautiful asleep as he was awake. She touched his cheek, warm and soft beneath her fingers. But she would not fall asleep again, no matter how hard she tried.

And so Schuyler kissed Jack's mouth before rolling out of bed, and slipping out of the room. Maybe some tea would help, or a warm glass of milk. The house at this hour was not eerie or in the least spooky, as she had expected; lamps were lit every so often, and reminded Schuyler of the Hotel Lambert, filled with comforting memories and nostalgia, though here, they were not her own. She hopped down the stairs and walked through the dimly lit, heavily shadowed entrance hall, and through the breakfast parlour into the massive commercial kitchen – where she found Dominic at the stove. He didn't turn at the sound of her footsteps, but said, 'Couldn't sleep either, I see.'

Schuyler shook her head. 'No.'

Dominic looked over his shoulder. 'Hot chocolate?' he asked, showing her the saucepan he was manning.

Grinning, Schuyler said, 'There's chocolate. Enough said.'

'Excellent.' He turned away, and said, 'Have a seat, and then we'll see if we can sort your insomnia out.' Dominic turned the stove off, and reached above him for two mugs. 'So, to Florence tomorrow.'

'Yeah. We have to warn the keepers to secure the gate.' Schuyler sat at one of the stools around the island, and suddenly noticed that Dominic was shirtless, wearing only grey cotton trousers. She blushed, suddenly nervous. It was not that she was nervous because of him, she was nervous because he was a _guy_, and he was half-naked. The only ones she'd ever seen this way were Jack and Ollie – and she was close to them. But even as she looked away, she saw the way his back was muscled, toned, saw the breadth of it, the powerful shoulders. His body was fairly lean though, not bulging with muscle nor delicately slim. Dominic was taller than Jack, standing somewhere around six three to Jack's five nine, so to Schuyler, he was like a great classical statue from antiquity, complete with ideal proportions and chiselled features.

'Did your mother tell you about it?' Dominic was facing her now, pouring rich, thick chocolate into two mugs. 'About the van Alen Legacy, I mean.'

Schuyler nodded.

'What's she like in this Expression?' he asked, swiping a finger across the lip of the saucepan and putting it into his mouth. 'Still a knock-out, I presume?' There was a smile in his voice.

'She... She looks like Alice,' admitted Schuyler.

Dominic grinned as he put the pan in the sink. 'As always. So, she looks like you.' He sighed, pushing a mug toward her and leaning on the counter. He was quiet for a moment.

Schuyler wrapped her hands around the warm mug. 'Why did you and Alice go into hiding?' she asked.

'I honestly don't remember,' he said, shrugging helplessly. 'In a past life, Alice kept a diary, and that and our parents are how we know everything we do so far... But she never wrote why we are the way we are.' He took a sip of his chocolate. 'She had written it with complete command of her memories.'

Schuyler followed, taking a small sip, before she realised that it was smooth, luscious and utterly delicious – the best hot chocolate she'd ever had. Her next mouthful was larger. 'Alice said that – that she was always called up with my mother.'

'Yup.' Dominic nodded. 'Till she and Michael went off to the New World. She wanted to go too, of course, but the Coven was in uproar as it was. They couldn't have us leaving too. The Coven was angry... But afraid mostly.' He looked into his mug, as though it was written in there. 'They were outraged, but I saw the fear, and so did Alice. And they pleaded with her, begged her to remain with them, and she did. She was named Regis once Michael had gone. But it broke her heart to watch her sister go.'

'Alice was Regis?' Schuyler remembered the Countess mentioning Uriel and Raphael had led the coven before. 'But then...'

Dominic answered her thought. 'After that Expression ended, Alice was reborn for her next, as was I. That was the life in which she wrote the diary. But after we bonded, for some reason, Alice and I relinquished our positions, and withdrew from the Coven. After that, Lord Sebastian and Lady Charlotte became Enmortals, I assume to be able to keep her cycles going. My family then did the same.' He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing in both frustration and amusement. 'And so here we are.'

'Wow,' Schuyler said. So that was how it had happened.

'We tried to kill each other once,' he said conversationally, drinking his chocolate.

Schuyler nearly choked on hers. 'What?' she gasped. 'Why?'

Dominic shrugged again. 'Can't say. But it was written in Alice's diary; we had actually pulled our swords out and tried to kill each other. When the memory came back, we really didn't have too hard a time believing it. A good part of the house we were in was destroyed, apparently.' He laughed. 'Mine and Alice's personalities are polar opposites in a lot of ways. But hey, opposites attract. We hadn't been bonded yet, but we were betrothed at the time.'

'Did she kick your ass?' Schuyler joked.

'Ohhh, well...' Dominic appeared to weigh it out in his head. 'I think I was pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself.'

'So she pretty much beat you up like a bitch,' laughed Schuyler.

'You put it so harshly,' Dominic laughed, but he smiled sheepishly. 'It's weird, though. I can't think of anything – can't _remember_ anything – that would make us turn on one another like that. We weren't just yelling and pushing each other – we were fighting as though... As though we were out for blood; like one of us had been Corrupted, or something.' He looked sombre, his face grave. 'I'm worried it was something more than that. And not being able to remember it has always made Alice uncomfortable.'

'You'll probably remember it sooner or later,' Schuyler said. 'I mean, your memories are complete when you turn twenty one, right?'

'Yeah, I guess.' He took another swig.

'Hey, can I ask you something?'

Dominic's eyebrows lifted, but he put the mug down. 'Sure.'

'What was it like between Alice and my mother?'

At this, Dominic stared at Schuyler for a moment, before he pressed his mouth into a line. 'Really want to know?'

Schuyler nodded – and then they were no longer in the kitchen. They were in a dim room, where a wall gave way onto an airy balcony. The walls were of creamy white stone, and there was a bed with a woman in it. Schuyler suddenly knew where they were.

This was Rome. And the woman in the bed was no one other than the woman known to her as Allegra van Alen.

The door on the other end of the room opened a fraction.

'Are you awake?' said a shaky voice through the crack.

'I would not reply if I wasn't,' laughed Schuyler's mother. 'Come here, Aemilia.' She looked to be in her early twenties, or not even that. She was still breathtakingly beautiful.

The door opened fully, before a slender figure slid into the room and shut it behind her.

Alice.

'Come,' said Allegra, opening her arms, and Alice ran to her, crawling onto the bed. Alice looked barely fifteen. 'Why are you still awake?' asked Allegra as her sister curled up beside her.

'He came to me,' Alice whispered. 'The emperor. He came to my room.' Gone was the fearless archangel Uriel – she was scared, probably still going through the transformation. But she looked thoroughly shaken.

'Gaius?' Allegra took Alice in her arms and cradled her tenderly. 'Gaius came to you?'

Even Schuyler could see Alice was trembling, almost violently.

'He – he tried...' Alice's voice broke, and she couldn't say more. 'He wanted to – he tried to, but I...' She buried her face into Allegra's chiffon.

Allegra looked disbelieving, in shock for an instant, but her expression turned soft, consoling when she held on to her sister and rocked her to sleep. 'You are safe here,' she whispered, pressing her hand to Alice's head. 'Sleep now, Aemilia. All will be well in the morning. We shall tell Cassius...' The room was filled with the muffled sobs and the sound of tears, and with Allegra's soothing words. 'Do not cry, my darling. It pains me to see you this way.'

When Schuyler blinked again, she was in the kitchen, still sitting on the stool, Dominic on the other side of the island. They had been the same words Alice had said...

'Your mother was really the only one Alice ever answered to – the only one she ever looked up to.' Dominic traced the rim of his mug with a long finger. 'They were always very close. Sometimes it was like they were the same person, and at others like they couldn't have possibly been related.'

'How did you know about that?' asked Schuyler. 'What happened to – to Aemilia...'

'She showed me. I had been with Cassius at the barracks at the time, seeing to some injuries, but when she told me...' Dominic's kind face took on a chilling shadow, one that reminded Schuyler of the time when she had seen Abbadon's nature through Jack's. His hands were clenched so tight that his knuckles were white. But what Schuyler saw in Dominic then was not the same darkness, it was a fierceness; an undeniable protectiveness that was both terrifying and captivating. As though he had once been a battle-hardened warrior, facing the next fight with indestructible valour and ferociousness. So this was the side of Raphael that had cleansed Heaven and earth of the sins of the Four Hundred... It was ironic, to an extent. Standing before her then was Raphael, Holy Physician; the most quiet, the most peaceful; the healer of all, helper in sorrow and mourning. He was the kindest, the gentlest of the Seven by nature, but it hid the sleeping power he held within. He had once purged the earth, and his courage was unparalleled. He would valiantly charge in to protect the innocent, the meek and the vulnerable; Raphael the defender. He was fearless, both in battle and out. Mighty and merciful, powerful and compassionate – Lucifer had once mocked him for it, called him weaker because of his kindness and humility. Gifted with both the power to obliterate and the power to heal; Raphael could heal any manner of Red Blood ailments, and had saved the lives of many of their kind in Rome, even those wounded with the black fire. Raphael, Holy Physician, Angel of Joy, Defender of the Weak... It had been said that the Almighty had allowed him the power even in voluntary exile, in order to show mercy to those guilty of treachery against Heaven and the Lord.

Schuyler saw it all in those moments on Dominic's face before he reverted back to his cheerful self.

'Anyway. All in the past, I suppose. Literally.' He smiled at her, any trace of ferocity he had allowed to come to the surface gone as though it had never been. He suddenly looked at her with a curious expression, his voice so unwaveringly gentle when he said, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you.'

Schuyler, strangely, was not at all scared. 'I'm not scared,' she said, sounding like a petulant child.

Dominic grinned. 'Good.' He looked into his mug; about halfway left. 'So, you just sort of left New York without any warning?' he asked.

Schuyler looked at her hands, before shrugging. 'Yeah, I guess so. Everything had happened all at once, and – my mother told me what had to be done...' They had spent such meagre time together, Schuyler missed her already. She wondered if Allegra would visit now and then, or if it would be even years before she saw her again. What had been said between them made Schuyler feel uncomfortable; she had sobbed apologies and fallen asleep in her mother's arms, and woken up from the dream, her eyes red and sore as though she had truly shed tears, but was there to be tension between her and Allegra now?

As though Schuyler's heartache were visible in the air, Dominic said, 'She won't ever leave you alone. In a good way.' He smiled, and it was comforting in a way she wasn't quite sure why. 'I know it probably sucks major that she wasn't around, and I know I probably can't relate at all, but you know what I think?' It was like he was letting her in on a secret; his voice lowered. 'I don't think anyone can really begin to heal from anything until they've begun to forgive. Forgive the person who caused the pain, or even themselves.'

'But how?' Schuyler asked, shaking her head. She could see he wasn't being patronising. 'I want to – really, I do – but nothing inside of me can.' How could she forgive Allegra for making her feel alone, when she just kept on doing it? Allegra might never be the mother she wanted, dreamed of, hoped for, but nothing she said could seem to repair the hole in her heart. Allegra had said that she would never leave her alone, that she was _in _her, that she was _part_ of her... And yet, Schuyler still felt alone – still felt as though her mother was not there. Having Alice made things easier; Schuyler thought it was kind of like having a big sister, even though they were the same age.

'I think,' said Dominic slowly, twisting his cup round and round, 'that sometimes forgiveness is necessary, more than deserved. Sometimes people don't merit our forgiveness, sometimes don't even want it, but there are times we need to forgive them anyway. Not only so they can heal, but so we can too.' He eyed Schuyler carefully, watching her fiddle with her hands. 'You don't have to forgive her now, or even tomorrow, or the next day, but... You might just have to forgive her to heal your own wounds, you know? All the better if they heal hers, too.' He drank the last dregs in his mug and popped it into the sink. 'I mean, she's your mum. Hate her guts or love her to pieces, she's your mum. And in your case, she's your _actual_ mother. Maybe this is different in New York, but a lot of Blue Bloods here don't care for the Red Blood family dynamics because they're not _really_ related that way. But you're different. Allegra's your real mother.' He paused. 'Even if she never acted like it.' He put a hand on over hers on the bench. 'Don't be unwilling to forgive out of fear that you'll be hurt you again.'

'But...' He was right. Schuyler knew it; he was right, goddamnit.

'Sleep on it,' Dominic said, taking her empty mug for her. 'You'll forgive her when you're ready.'

* * *

'No, I don't think I'll be coming back soon...' Alice was sitting at the head of the table in the breakfast parlour, her iPhone in one hand, a silver fork in the other. 'Oh, don't worry babe, you'll be fine.' She forked her smoked salmon sitting atop a large mound of creamy scrambled eggs. 'They were – um – she was my... Cousin. From New York.' Alice looked up when she heard footsteps; Schuyler had just walked in with Jack close behind. 'The guy? No, he's taken. Yeah, her.' She twiddled her fingers on her fork hand and mouthed hi. She slid a slice of bacon off her plate for Ruby, who pounced on it like a rabbit.

Schuyler sat down with Jack on Alice's left, when Bella, the maid from yesterday, came in through the other doorway leading to the kitchens with a trolley filled with the famous English breakfast – bacon, eggs, grilled tomato, sausages and toast. She smiled as she filled two plates for her and Jack and then poured two glasses of orange juice before she retreated back into the kitchen, leaving the trolley behind.

'Don't know. No, really, I don't know. Mightn't be back for a while. No, I'm not eloping with Dom. Don't be so suspicious!' Alice laughed, swinging one leg as it gracefully crossed over the other beneath the table. 'Bye – no, I'm having breakfast. Really, I have to go. Yeah, have fun in Physics, and tell Coach Garrett I'm sorry. Bye babe.' She slid the phone onto the table and continued the demolition of the glorious mountain on her plate. 'Sleep well last night?' she asked, turning to Jack and Schuyler.

Jack nodded (his mouth was full), and while Schuyler hesitated at first, she nodded too.

'Makes awesome hot chocolate, doesn't he?' Alice smiled as she put a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

Jack swallowed. 'Who?'

'Dominic,' Schuyler said. 'I went down for some tea last night, but he was there already, making chocolate.' She looked at Alice and remembered the frightened, trembling girl she had seen.

'What?' Alice asked, holding her glass of juice. Despite her abilities, she tried not to look too brazenly into people to see what they were thinking; she liked conversation. 'Do I have something on my face?'

Schuyler shook her head. 'No, no. Sorry, I was just thinking of something...' Would Alice mind that she had seen such a private moment, a time when she had been so vulnerable and afraid?

'Oh.' Although Alice resisted the temptation to rifle through Schuyler's thoughts, she saw the disquiet in her eyes. 'Okay.' She looked to Jack. 'So, how's your sister?' Alice remembered bits and pieces of Azrael; she had seen her as the Egyptian queen, Agrippina, and as the French aristocrat so far. 'Manhattan princess is what I've gathered.' As the It girl of her own domain, she had her own sources of information. Ruby put her paw on Alice's knee; Alice absently fed her the rest of the bacon on her plate, and then pushed the bloodhound a sausage.

Jack smiled with dry amusement. 'About right.' He hadn't thought about Mimi much lately; initially he had felt remorse at leaving her that way, at leaving her alone – she was his twin, a part of him, after all – but she hadn't crossed his mind as of late. And when he had found out about her and Kingsley, he felt deep pity at what she was left with; he, her brother, her constant companion, was gone, and the one her heart had begun to reach out to was trapped in the underworld. She had been his best friend, and he hers, and now they had chosen their paths; paths that diverged, and might meet again for the wrong reasons.

'I smell food!' announced a voice; dressed in riding gear and sauntering into the parlour was Dominic. He was pulling off his coat and leaned down to kiss Alice when she leaned away and pushed his face.

'You stink of the stables,' she remarked, when he stared at her in bewilderment.

Dominic lifted a brow, but shrugged and wrapped his arms around Alice so that she was trapped against the seat and, leaning over the back of the chair, kissed her full on the mouth anyway.

'Mm – mmm!' Alice fidgeted against his hold, and shrieked out a little when Dominic finally pulled away, grinning. She swatted his arm as he sat on her right.

It was silent then, but Schuyler and Jack could tell that they were communicating elsewhere.

_You seemed perfectly at ease to let me kiss you when we were in the stables_, he sent, projecting into her mind the time that they had come back from riding and had taken _quite_ the roll in the hay.

On the outside, Alice's cheeks burned with pink. _We both smelled bad anyway. _

_As I recall,_ Dominic continued, ignoring her remark, _we didn't exactly stop at a kiss now, did we, darling?_

_Shut up._

Dominic winked, but yelped when Alice kicked him beneath the table.

_Shut UP, Dom! _Alice thought he was being particularly playful this morning. And not to her benefit.

_Why? _

_Because my face is red, and you're making it worse._

* * *

Lord Sebastian and Lady Charlotte took them first to the Stoneleigh estate, Thatchgrove Park, where Dominic picked up things that seemed to already be packed and waiting; his parents didn't appear to be home. It was then onward to Heathrow Airport, where waiting for them was a tall, lanky boy with dark-hair.

'Huntley!' Alice swung her arms around his neck and hugged him. 'What are you doing here?'

The thin boy grinned. 'As if I could let you go without me. I'm your Conduit, where you go, I go.'

When Schuyler heard him say that, she immediately thought of Oliver; he was her Conduit, her best friend, her cohort. Where she went, he should have followed. But it had been his decision to let her go without him – she and Jack had were on the run, after all. He had decided that he could not protect her the way he wanted to be able to, and so had not followed. But it didn't take away the pang she felt when she saw Huntley with Alice.

'But what about school?' Alice was asking.

'My parents took care of it,' he said casually, running thin fingers through his thick hair. 'And my life would be pretty boring without you two anyway.' Huntley grinned at Alice, and then at Dominic. 'Rupert called and said he would follow us.'

'He won't be,' responded Dominic, shaking his head. 'I made sure he didn't.'

'But it's our job!' protested Huntley. 'It's our job to serve you – '

'A job isn't a life,' Dominic said quietly. 'You're human, Hunt. You're only here for such a short amount of time – don't tell me you want to spend it doing this.'

Huntley was shaking his head. 'Alice – come on, tell him – '

'Dominic's right,' Alice said, a sad look on her beautiful face. 'I would never be able to forgive myself if it were my fault that you never fulfilled your life. This job, your role as Conduit...' She sounded like Uriel again. 'I can't let it mean that you sacrifice everything for me. I'll be on this earth a while yet, but you... You have hopes and dreams that you cannot fulfil with me. Mortals have a purpose in life, and they should not have to pay the price of giving up that purpose for our indiscretions. '

'But...' Huntley was more than crestfallen – he looked heartbroken. 'But you _are_ my purpose!' he argued. 'This is my duty- no, this _is_ my destiny! I'm _meant_ to give everything up for you...' There would never be a day when he would not turn the world upside down for her – or at least die trying. 'What if my hopes are to make sure you make this life count in trying to – trying to get back to Heaven? What if my dreams are for _you_?'

Schuyler's heart went out to him, but she knew Alice and Dominic were only trying to do what they believed was best. Ollie had known that the best thing was to stay, and for her to go off and do whatever she had to do. He would help all he could from there, but he knew he would have only weighed her down.

'But they aren't, babe,' said Alice, putting a hand on his chest. Maybe, now, they were. But time would give him new directions, new pathways away from that of the Conduit. Alice shook her head. She was forever wondering, in every life, if it was really right to for them to have Conduits, for people to not have lives of their own. Not really. The Blue Bloods would be here for a while yet, but for a Red Blood to have their one life, their destiny, planned out so rigidly for them...

'You don't know that – oh wait, you do, don't you?' Huntley's tone was scathing, bitter from the hurt and rejection he seemed to be facing. 'I know you guys think I'm vulnerable because I'm only human, and that I can't do things that you guys can, but it doesn't mean I can't do anything! Compared to you, maybe, I'm weak, but I'm not helpless! I can help you, you know I can!'

'We didn't say that you couldn't,' Alice said softly. 'It would just be better for you to not to spend your life this way.'

'That's not your decision!' Huntley angrily. 'It's my life, and I'll use it to help you if I want to!'

'You'll help us more by staying behind.' Dominic was looking straight into his eyes, his words unwavering. 'You'll help yourself more by not coming.'

'Alice,' Huntley pleaded, holding her hands in his as though they might break, 'Alice, please. Let me come with you. I can help you.'

After all the years together, Alice finally saw what he had always wanted to say. He would never leave her. Never wanted to. Wanted to stay beside her for as long as his time on earth allowed. And her heart was aching for him. 'I can't. _You_ can't. You can live a life free from all of this. I have to let you go, Hunt. It would be selfish of me to make you stay.'

'Then _be_ selfish,' implored Huntley. 'You can be selfish once, can't you? Just this once?'

But Alice smiled a poignant, melancholy smile, and shook her head. 'I love you too much to let you throw your life away for me. You'll move on, have a real life.' She laughed sadly. 'One that doesn't involve me dragging your everywhere and making you stop what you're doing just so you can help me out. And even if that's what you want to do,' she said, before he could interrupt, 'sometimes what we want isn't always the best thing for us, or for the people we love. I'm not doing this out of pity, Huntley. We've been friends for so long... And you've spent your whole life doing things for me...' She shook her head, laughing again, but only because she would cry if she didn't. 'The least I can do for you is let you go.' Alice hugged him again, tightly. 'Thank you for everything. You can do whatever you want with your life now.'

Huntley was holding her so tight, pressing his face against her shoulder, fighting the tears that would make him look like a sissy. He looked like he mightn't let go when Alice pulled away. He couldn't imagine life without her, didn't want to. 'But... But this was what I was born for, Al. My life is _supposed_ to be this way...' But he couldn't keep a hold on her as she moved backward, away from him. And all he could do was stare at her.

'Goodbye, Huntley.' Alice let go, before turning to her parents; she stared at them pensively for a moment, before she was wrapped in both the Duke's and Duchess' arms. 'Bye Mum, Dad.' She felt tears coming when they kissed her hair and her cheek.

'Be careful, darling,' Lord Sebastian said as he brought Alice closer. The noble mask seemed to fade, and he looked as though he might shed a tear.

'Call us when you land, won't you?' Lady Charlotte already had – several of them. She sniffled, wiping her eyes as Alice looked at her in disbelief. 'Goodness, look at me... Bawling like a child...' She laughed helplessly. 'Oh, my Alice, you always grow up so much faster than I would like. In every expression...' There was a genuine affection, a real love shining in Lady Charlotte's eyes. _I am still grateful for everything, for you, Uriel._

* * *

I'm kind of iffy about the scene with Huntley... I don't know if I like it or not.

But anyway - off to Florence! (And for crying out loud, speak people! SPEAK! Nothing is quite as disheartening to think authors go unheard...)

spiffy


	8. I Am A Friend

I think this and the last chapter have been somewhat... Flat :(

* * *

'So why have you come to see me?' Averardo Riccardi's English was near impeccable; there were only little nuances of his Italian in his accent.

Schuyler kept her voice low. 'We are searching for the Order of the Seven, Signor.' They were at Ristorante la Giostra, an exclusive restaurant that had not even a sign to ensure the hoi polloi kept to themselves – but there were people usually clamouring at the front for a table anyway.

At this, Averardo raised a dark brow. He took his wineglass in between his fingers and took a long sip. 'And what might that have to do with me? I only bothered coming to see you because my daughter Catherine said that you had the blessing of the Countess herself.' He chuckled. 'The young Signor Stoneleigh here proves it.'

Dominic only continued to devour his first course of grilled giant prawns, his eyes meeting Schuyler's for only a moment before he looked back to his plate.

'Signor Riccardi,' Jack said, leaning forward onto the table, 'We need to find the Gate of Promise, and its keeper here in Florence. There have been... Incidents of late involving the New York Coven, and we need to make sure that the Seven gates are secure.'

Averardo regarded Jack with interest. 'Incidents?'

Here Dominic stepped in, 'Signor Riccardi, it would be advisable not to speak of them in public.'

The older Italian man made a sound that resembled a grunt and a harrumph. 'I see.' He sliced into his Chianina fillet, rare and succulent. 'In any case, I assure you, the gate is safe.'

'Are you the keeper?' Schuyler asked.

Averardo barked a laugh, washing it down with a mouthful of wine. 'You must tell me, signorina, what a little girl like _you_ is doing looking for – ' He froze, his words suspended in midair. Averardo's eyes widened, and he blinked, leaning closer as though what he was seeing was a trick of the light. 'You are – you cannot be...'

'My name is Schuyler van Alen,' said the pretty, dark-haired girl confidently. 'And I am Gabrielle's daughter.'

* * *

'Er – well, regardless,' Averardo said, clearing his throat and shaking his head after Schuyler had explained some of the circumstance surrounding her heritage. 'That is of no consequence to me. The gate is secure – as is its keeper. I will pass on your warning, useless though it may be.'

'With all due _respect_, Signor,' Jack said tersely, 'we know for a fact that the gates are under threat. We have seen it.'

'I was not aware Sophia had shared her gifts with the likes of _you_, Abbadon,' Averardo shot back coldly. 'There is nothing more to be said. I now see this meeting was a waste of my time. Good day, Signor Stoneleigh.'

'Signor Riccardi, please, I can vouch that –' Dominic began, but Averardo had stood from his chair abruptly and did not say another word to Jack and Schuyler.

'Give my regards to the Countess and your father.' Averardo cut him off and left the table.

'Does he remind you of anyone?' queried Jack, watching Averardo stalk out the door and scatter the people waiting behind it as he slid into his car.

'Charles?' was Schuyler's reply. The same powerful bearing with the same stubbornness and refusal to believe. She sighed, flicking the corner of the tablecloth back and forth. 'So what do we do now?'

Dominic dabbed his mouth with his napkin, very satisfied with his meal. 'Regroup, I suppose. Find another plan of action.' He emptied his glass. 'I'm sure you don't want to leave without making sure the Gate of Promise is protected.'

'And how are we going to do that?' Schuyler asked disbelievingly. Averardo Riccardi had dismissed them little better than raving lunatics; what _could_ they do now?

Dominic shrugged. 'That's what the regrouping is for.'

* * *

They went back to the Villa, to tell Alice what had happened, and Jack and Schuyler followed Dominic to the Presidential Suite in the Limonaia, the former orangerie of the monastery.

Opening the door, Dominic called, 'Babe? Are you decent?' He poked his head through, before walking into the sitting room. 'Al?'

Schuyler was behind him; the room was decorated in Tuscan renaissance, the colours of cream, white and chocolate, and through the large window was an unparalleled view of the city. 'Alice?'

The three of them found her sitting cross-legged on the bed, her eyes closed, looking as peaceful as though she were sitting in a field of daisies, and a leather-bound notebook lay open in front of her. A soft muffled mix of sounds was coming from the earphones in her ears.

'Is she meditating?' Jack asked.

Dominic eyed the earphones she'd plugged in, but he nodded. 'Think so.' He picked up her iPhone and rolled his eyes. 'To this, of all things,' he snorted.

Schuyler peered at the touch screen, and saw The Vines were pumping at full blast. So that was the muffled scratchy sound.

'Oi, rockstar,' Dominic teased, but Alice didn't respond. He pulled out one earbud and kissed her in the same spot. 'Go back far?'

Alice cracked open an eye. 'Not really. Just trying to fill in details of recent Expressions.' She opened the other eye, pulled the other bud out and shifted on the bed, looking at them curiously. 'How'd it go?'

'A fail,' Schuyler groaned, hopping onto the bed and nestling her head on Alice's knee. 'A big, ugly fail.' Since that day at Perryton House, it had been a lot easier to be comfortable around Alice. It was as though she had known her forever.

Alice smiled and smoothed Schuyler's hair. 'What happened?'

'Didn't believe us,' Jack told her. 'Didn't even want to tell us who the gatekeeper was.'

'A sceptic?' Alice said, sounding surprised.

Dominic nodded. 'Brushed them off and said the gate was secure. They couldn't exactly discuss what happened in New York in-depth in the middle of the restaurant, but he didn't give them a chance to anyway.'

Schuyler sighed deeply, feeling at home as Alice brushed her hair with her fingers. 'What do we do now?' she asked, twisting slightly to look up at her.

Patting Schuyler's arm, Alice laughed very softly, but the sound was shrewd, laced with cunning that brought out the ancient strategist that Uriel was. 'Let's give Catherine a call, shall we?'

* * *

Catherine Riccardi was a frail-looking girl with raven hair and sweet features that made her look like the angel that she was, but she looked as though the slightest gust of wind would blow her over. She was twenty-five, but looked not yet eighteen.

'Alice,' she breathed, kissing the blonde girl on both cheeks. '_Bella,_ what brings you to Florence?' They were sitting on the sprawling terrace of Caffe Rivoire, overlooking the square of the Piazza della Signoria.

The cafe was famous for its hot chocolate and cocktails, but in the late afternoon, Alice opted for the former. She stirred her cioccolata con panna and licked the spoon. 'I was wondering if you knew about something...'

'Mm?'

'Have you heard of the Gate of Promise?'

Catherine appeared not to have heard her for a moment, before she blinked and shook her head furiously. 'No, no, _il mio amico_, I know nothing of it.' She busied herself with folding her napkin. 'I – I have never heard of such a thing.'

Alice nodded slowly. 'Ah. I see.' She pulled out her iPhone and began to type casually. 'A shame.'

The Italian girl looked crestfallen, as though she had let Alice down somehow. 'A-Alice, _mi spiace_, I cannot say...'

Alice smiled and shook her head. 'Don't worry, Catherine. I had hoped you could help me, but...'

Catherine frowned. 'I would do anything for you, _bella,_ but that is something – something I must...' She clenched a hand and lifted her chin. 'Why do you need to know anything?'

It was then that Alice dropped her facade. 'Catherine,' she said, putting a hand on her arm, 'I need to know who the gatekeeper is.'

Snatching her hand away, Catherine hissed, 'Why?'

'So you do know something,' she answered simply. It would have been so easy to just sort through her head and find the information she needed, but Catherine had been her friend for a long time, Alice felt she would be betraying her trust if she did. Not to mention it was totally rude.

Catherine shook her head again. 'Why are you after the keeper?' Her voice was steady, any trace of the frail girl had faded as her face turned hard and she stood from the table.

'Catherine, please sit down,' Alice said calmly. 'I am no enemy. Please.' She watched as Catherine slowly sat back down, her back rigid and her eyes wary. _Look at me. _

And it was hard for Catherine not to; she stared and gazed into Alice's eyes, as though trying to find something that would assure her. _Why are you after the keeper?_ she repeated._ I will tell you nothing until you tell me why you are looking for the Gate._

Alice only smiled.

Catherine looked furious with herself. _Tell me!_

_You can trust me, friend, _Alice sent, _but can I trust you?_

_What do you mean?_

_What I tell you now must be kept a secret. You must swear to never tell._

_Why? What is it?_

_Swear first._

_How do I know I can trust you?_

_Because I have not destroyed you here and now. Swear you will never tell._

Catherine looked down at her hands, before locking her gaze with Alice's. _I swear._

* * *

'What's taking her so long?' Schuyler moaned, moving restlessly in the car that she, Jack and Dominic were waiting in. What if Alice had failed too? Had something happened?

'She can take care of herself,' Dominic chuckled. 'Keep your knickers on.' He stretched his long legs and sighed.

Schuyler felt her cheeks heat.

Jack pulled his arms above his head, flexing his shoulders. 'Does Catherine know anything about the Gate?'

Dominic shrugged. 'Guess that's what Alice is going to find out.' He reached over and snapped open a compartment, pulling out a pack of M&M's. 'Here,' he said, tearing it open, 'chocolate takes the edge off.'

Schuyler gratefully took a big handful, resulting in a suppressed grin from Jack and laughter from Dominic. 'Shut up,' she smiled, elbowing Jack a little.

Dominic was suddenly fingering a silver flask from his pocket; he unscrewed it and took a swig. 'Mr Walker does us good,' he said, offering it to Jack, who took an equally long drink.

* * *

Catherine Riccardi had fallen to her knees in the middle of the empty cloakroom in the town hall opposite the cafe, tears streaming from her eyes. 'Uriel,' she whispered, over and over, clutching the right-hand wrist embedded with the golden sword piercing a cloud. 'It _is_ you – you have returned to us...'

Alice put her hand on Catherine's head. 'Stand, Catherine,' she said softly. 'This is my secret – and you must now keep it as though it were your own.'

Rising shakily, Catherine nodded vigorously. 'Always.' She looked into of the beautiful face of the Archangel who had disappeared so many years ago. The Coven's guiding light; the mighty Uriel, who was thought to have left them, had been with them all along. She had never abandoned them. Catherine did not question her will or her request for the secrecy.

Smiling, Alice pulled down her sleeve. She could trust her; Catherine would keep her word. Had it been necessary to reveal herself? Maybe, maybe not. But it was better than just intruding into her mind. Alice did it sometimes out of habit, but at least she had developed a sense of being able to see what was in someone's head through what was in their eyes. She couldn't help laughing a little as Catherine wiped her tears. _Who is the gatekeeper, Catherine?_

It was Catherine's turn to smile.

* * *

Dominic's flask was bone-dry, and the three of them were now onto their second bottle of Chianti Classico; they had dismissed the glasses sitting in the small cabinet and were drinking straight from the bottle.

How classy.

'It's sometimes a pain how much longer it takes for us to get pissed, isn't it?' Dominic sighed sadly, and he drank, right before Schuyler took the bottle and had another gulp.

Jack nodded as Schuyler handed the bottle over. 'Pain in the ass.'

The car door suddenly opened, and a voice said, 'I see you had fun without me.'

Dominic waved, his arms open as Alice climbed into the car and into his embrace. She was followed by a willowy girl with long, dark hair. 'Oh. Hi Catherine.'

'_Ciao, _Dominico,' she said, sitting on the side seat opposite him and Alice.

'Sky, Jack,' Alice said, 'this is Catherine Riccardi.' She beckoned with her fingers, and the car door shut. 'She's the keeper of the Gate of Promise.'

* * *

So, I understand if anyone found these last couple of chapters lacking... I know I did. I might have the next ones up soon if I'm in a good mood later, and they're a lot better, I promise! :D

spiffy


	9. Good Friends Are Found In Weird Places

So personally, I think the story gets WAY better from here... It took me a while to really get into the flow of my story, and this has happened with my other grand epic fanfic, Stars in the Sky. The first bits were pretty schmoozy, and then it starts to get a lot better.

_**PLEASE READ THIS!**_

You may or may not have noticed my constant reference to Lord Sebastian and Lady Charlotte. From some thorough research for another story, I have found that my forms of address are entirely wrong :( If you knew about it and ignored it, thank you! If you didn't know, just ignore it :) There's a whole lotta hoopla that goes along with it, and there are exceptions depending on the circumstances, but here's what you need to know in a nuthsell:

Titled men and women, who hold titles in their own right, are never addressed Lord or Lady 'First name', UNLESS, the lady is the daughter of certain titled men and women, which is Alice's case. Let's use the Anstruther-Black family as an example.

Correctly, they would be (minus all the possible ways of addressing, only the basics): His Grace, Sebastian Miles Anstruther-Black, twenty-third Duke of St Ives, Her Grace, Charlotte Honoria Anstruther-Black, Duchess of St Ives, and Lady Alice Anstruther-Black (I haven't decided on her middle names yet, so shush). I could tell you all the ways of addressing our most noble family, but you don't need to know it :) I shouldn't have been writing Lord Sebastian or Lady Charlotte because no one ever did! Not in letters, not in speaking, not anywhere! I should have been calling him the Duke, Sebastian, His Grace, Lord St Ives, or St Ives. The Duchess is the same, only we shouldn't ever call her St Ives, because that's exclusively her husband's term.

So there was a nice piece of trivia for you!

* * *

The River Arno was perhaps one of the biggest landmarks in Florence; things were measured by their distance from it, and places were located by being on the north or south bank. Several stories beneath it, however, unbeknownst to the general population of Florence, or even Tuscany altogether, was that hidden in deep brick-lined tunnels was a Path of the Dead and upon it, the Gate of Promise.

'Come,' Catherine said, holding a flame-lit torch in front of her as she led them down the seemingly endless tunnel of darkness. 'We are nearly there.'

Schuyler shivered, and Jack took his hand out of hers to slide it over her shoulders and hold her to him. It was a warm night in Florence, but here, in the depths of these ancient passageways, it was as though they were in deepest winter.

Right behind Catherine was Alice; she had not sensed evil or Corruption in Catherine, so was not worried that she was leading them into a trap. But even if she was somehow wrong about her friend... She and Dominic had not come unprepared.

'_Bravo!'_ Catherine suddenly laughed, and she waved the torch into an empty recess in the brick wall. 'Here. This is the Gate.' She looked over it, touching the space. 'It appears to be safe. On the outside, at least…'

Alice and Dominic shared a look before stepping forward; the former shook her head when their other companions followed. _Jack, Sky, I need you to stay here. If I don't come back after five minutes, Dominic will come in after me. _She gave them a fierce glare. _Under no circumstance do you follow me. Is that clear?_

_Let me go with you! _Schuyler sent, while Jack had nodded.

Alice gave her a smile that made her the sixteen year old again. _No, you must stay here. I feel that something may go wrong in this world while I am in another. And I cannot let you be taken whilst in the glom. You and Abbadon... Keep an eye on Catherine. I sense no danger, but I will not take any chances._

* * *

The darkness of the tunnels was nothing to the darkness of the glom. But standing there, enormous and foreboding, was the gate. Alice was mere feet away. She saw nothing beyond it, saw no demon or fire, but she felt their presence drifting through the gaps in the gate, held back from escaping. She began to inspect, not with her hands, but with her spirit – and she nearly recoiled in horror.

They were fighting against it, the demons in hell were roaring madly, furiously at the seal that kept them bound in the underworld. Memories came to her then; all in that moment, and Alice suddenly knew that it was normal; that the evil would always yearn to be free, attempting to destroy the gate. But the gate itself, Michael's spirit and protection he had provided all those millennia ago, was unharmed. What kept the creatures of evil in hell was still keeping them there, but how could she reinforce it? Alice opened her eyes, shaking her head, but there was something on the other side of the gate then.

A handsome man with dark hair and an uncanny smile that made his face seem odd because it was not there_._

* * *

'I will go in,' Catherine announced. 'I am the guardian; it is my duty to protect the gate.'

'No.' Dominic's tone was imperious. 'It has only been a few minutes. Give her more time.'

'She could need help!' Schuyler said angrily. She couldn't help feeling that she was in trouble. Schuyler was too afraid to lose her to not.

Dominic smiled gently. 'You really don't know, do you?'

* * *

'Alice!' Kingsley was yelling, his eyes wide and bloodshot, his body looking halfway broken and beaten. Hell had not treated him kindly. 'Get out of here!'

'Why?' Alice asked, her brows knitting together. 'What's going on?' She didn't mean to sound calm, but then she felt the same feeling of voracious fury, of overwhelming force coming from beyond the gate – only as though it had been magnified by a thousand. 'Kingsley!'

Kingsley ran to the gate, holding the bars and speaking rapidly. 'Listen – they know you're here. Lucifer has sent legions after you. They're coming, hundreds of them. Demons and creatures of every evil nature of Hell. They're coming for you.'

'Me?' Alice was confused. She thought they'd come to try and break through the gate; why would they be after her?

He seemed to know what she was thinking. 'The diary,' Kingsley said, his breathing quick and laboured, as though he had been running for his life.

Had he?

'Have you finished reading the diary?' he demanded.

Alice shook her head. 'No, why?'

'Get out of here, and read it – all of it! Try and remember _everything_! No matter what happens to me, no matter what they do, leave! You will be safe – ' And then they appeared. Monsters and demons of every horrifying nature; some completely made of flame, others of liquid darkness, some resembling mutilated and morphed humans, disfigured by Hell and evil, dragging themselves across the ground with decaying hands. And suddenly a cold force dragged Kingsley back – he fought against it, snarling viciously – and threw him into the farthest of the masses as they advanced toward the gate.

Commanding them was someone Alice thought she had never seen before, until he spoke, and then she knew exactly who he was.

'The Morningstar and I have missed you, Uriel.'

* * *

Dominic pushed Catherine aside. 'She's been in there too long. I'm going.' He shot a look at Jack, who seemed to understand. He turned to Catherine, who looked indignant.

'You cannot possibly take on Hell's worst!' she shrieked. 'You are only Jerahm – '

Her words were cut short when Dominic pulled up his sleeve and showed her. 'You must stay here. If something has gone wrong and you follow me, they will attempt to make you open the Gate. Please, stay here.'

* * *

'Oh,' said the dark angel, his eyes glowing with malice and feigned injury. 'I'm almost hurt. Don't you remember me, Little One?'

_Little One._ Alice dug her fingernails into her palm. It was what they had called her in Paradise – the youngest of the Archangels – and what Gabrielle called her. She glared at the man on the other side of the gate. 'Let him go, Asmodeus.' His very being seemed to radiate darkness and despair, his soul forever stained by the blood and screams of those he had slaughtered with a smile.

Asmodeus cackled, his voice filling the glom with fear. 'If you want him, my dear Uriel...' He raised a hand, and Kingsley was hoisted into the air; his face was screwed up, as though someone was squeezing his very heart with a cruel, unrelenting hand. 'Then you can come here and get him.'

Alice realised, the facts hitting her like a sledgehammer. Asmodeus and the demons wanted her – but they could not touch her unless she crossed the threshold. Asmodeus was still on earth somewhere, not trapped, she knew, and he could follow her, but he alone could not drag her to Hell. But to save Kingsley... It had been executed perfectly, and she had not seen it coming at all. She could leave now, keep herself out of harm's way... But Lucifer had known she would not abandon Kingsley; her friend was now her bait.

'Alice!'

She didn't need to turn to know who had come in after her.

Asmodeus looked positively delighted. 'Raphael! Still waiting on her like a lapdog?' He smiled again, but it was as rotten as a corpse on a battlefield. 'Come, join us. The festivities are just beginning.' He suddenly clenched his raised hand, and Kingsley let out a tortured, strangled sound. 'Of course, you could leave now, keep your precious Uriel safe... But then...' He turned, grinning with such satisfaction at seeing Kingsley so helpless. 'Dear Tiberius' blood will be on your hands.'

* * *

Schuyler was pacing – but she never paced. She wanted to go in after them, to fight with them, even though she didn't think she knew how. She had taken Dylan on, but she had no idea what she was facing this time. If it was anything like it had been in New York... She was helpless both ways.

'You fret too much,' remarked Catherine, looking at her. 'Have you no faith in the mighty Uriel and Raphael?' When Schuyler said nothing, she laughed. 'Uriel was always known as the most aggressive of the Seven, the most volatile and vindictive. The fiercest, the most cunning. And Raphael... He kept the Morningstar himself from destroying Paradise.' She then smiled. 'They are powerful. They are two of the holy Seven. Know that it will take more than a few demons and Croatan to bring them to mercy.'

* * *

It was without a moment's hesitation.

Alice felt her wings unfurl, revelling in the freedom. Her power was coursing through her, like she had it – molten flame, pure energy – running through her veins. In her hand, she held _Incendia Caelum_ – Heaven's Fire_._ She saw the monsters step back, shielding themselves from her light, groaning and crying out. Alice smiled with satisfaction. _Fools._ And then she leapt over the gate.

Despite himself, Dominic grinned and pulled out his own sword, _Patronus Sanctum _– Holy Protector_._ His wings stretched out, and he jumped over the gate after Alice.

Asmodeus himself was scowling at their golden wings, their radiant light. Those goddamned Archangels, always so bright, so good, so shining with cursed light. He shielded his eyes with an arm, but narrowed them. 'You will die here!' he screamed.

'No,' Alice said, brandishing her sword. A blade of white-gold flame; forged and made from the very fire of Heaven itself. There was a visible ripple of fear in Asmodeus' army. Alice smiled again. She was Uriel the Glorious, and her sword had slain countless of Hell's offspring. Beside her she felt the intense presence of Dominic, his strength emanating from him in waves. She spared a glance at him; his hair had turned a blinding gold, and his entire body seemed to be made of a brilliant light. It was his purity, the good and light in his soul, the presence of the Almighty in his heart that made him this way.

And with a soft laugh, she looked down at her own – it was not dissimilar.

There was a bloodthirsty madness in Asmodeus' eyes. _**'TAKE THEM!'**_

* * *

'Jack, we have to go in,' Schuyler whispered. It felt as though they had been in there for hours, and all she could do was watch Catherine look vigilant while Jack soothed her with his warmth. She would not – _could not_ – lose Alice now.

Jack was sitting on a fence; Dominic and Alice had explicitly ordered to not follow, but his whole body with the force of trying not to. Once upon a time, Uriel and Raphael had been his closest friends next to his twin, and sitting there made Jack feel like a Red Blood – useless, and weak. But he would not defy their will. 'No, Sky,' he said, holding her closer. At the very least, he would not let Schuyler enter the glom. Something was wrong – the three of them knew it – and he would not risk his love again. Whatever was going on at the Gate, Jack would keep Schuyler safe.

Schuyler wanted to scream at the both of them – why were they so quiet, so still? Something had happened, something bad, and all they could do was sit around this way! She stood, breaking out of Jack's embrace. 'I'm going.'

'No!' Jack said harshly. 'You heard what they said – we don't follow.'

'Something is _wrong_, Jack!' Schuyler cried, the hot pricking behind her eyes making her voice break. The thought of losing Alice or Dominic... She shuddered, shaking her head. 'I can't just let them go and – '

But Jack took her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. 'Don't you get it, Sky?' he barked. 'Don't you understand? If you go down there, you'll be putting yourself at risk! The Silver Bloods _want_ _you dead_, Schuyler! Alice and Dominic are trying to protect you, to keep you safe, and you're going to run headfirst into danger!' He shook her again. 'I may be Abbadon, and I may be of the underworld, but I'll be damned if I let them take you!' Jack was panting, his eyes full of fear and love and fury. And then he saw her tears, and his expression softened. 'Oh – no, Sky...' He pressed her against him, kissing her hair. 'Shh...'

'I'm sorry,' she whispered. Nothing he had said had occurred to her until now. That Alice and Dominic were keeping her safe, that Jack would do anything to protect her, that Alice was fighting in the glom to make sure that her sister's daughter would come to no harm... She sobbed; everyone was always trying to protect her. And it hurt that she could not help them.

All the while, Catherine leaned on the cold wall and smirked. 'Silly _bambini_.' Her smile was slapped off her face when the tunnel began to rumble and shake, and out of a flash of darkness, three figures crashed to the floor before them.

Jack's jaw dropped, and Schuyler turned around.

In between Alice and Dominic, who both looked as clean as new laundry, was an equally dirty and bruised Kingsley Martin.

Alice hopped up, as though she'd merely taken a little fall over a rock, dusting herself off. 'I just bought these jeans...' she muttered. She offered a hand to Dominic, who flexed and rolled his shoulders.

'Haven't sprouted those wings in a while,' he said, arms in the air, like he was just getting out of bed.

'Alice!' cried Schuyler, running to her. She was safe. She was alive. Alice did not smell of ash or blood, simply the same sandalwood and blossom smell she always had.

'What's all the fuss about?' she laughed, taking Schuyler in her arms. 'What are you crying for, hm?'

Jack let out a sigh of relief that could have blown out a bushfire. 'She was getting nervous for you two.' He joined Dominic, who was kneeling over an unconscious Kingsley. 'What happened down there?' he asked, partly in awe and partly in shock.

'We'll explain later.' Dominic felt Kingsley's pulse; his skin was like ice. 'Come on, let's get him back to the hotel.'

* * *

'Once Lucifer felt your presence in the glom,' Kingsley said on a breathy whisper, 'he called on Asmodeus who was on earth to go to the Gate. I was forced to go... You should have left when I told you to.' He coughed, groaning, and Alice put a hand on his forehead.

'Rest,' Dominic said, sitting backwards on a chair beside the bed in the Presidential suite. 'Tell us when you have some of your strength back.' A soft, warm light emanated from his hand as he put it over Kingsley's heart. 'You'll feel better soon if you sleep.'

Kingsley smiled his Cheshire cat smile, sighing and closing his eyes as Alice kissed his forehead. 'Thank you, though,' he said. 'I wasn't sure how much longer I was willing to take Lucifer's jibes at me down there.'

Alice laughed softly. 'Go to sleep, Kingsley. I assume you have not been allowed respite for quite some time now.'

Without opening his eyes, Kingsley smiled knowingly. 'Thank you. Both of you.' He spluttered again, breathing heavily. He felt Alice's hand over his, and he gripped it tight. 'We must talk.'

'Later,' Alice whispered. 'Rest now.'

Kingsley savoured it; the sound of her voice was soothing, her touch so soft and warm. Hell had made him miss his friend terribly.

* * *

Kingsley did not wake the next morning, so Alice, Jack, Schuyler and Dominic remained in the Presidential suite's private garden for breakfast. The sun was warm, the day bright, as though nothing terrible had happened the night before. The world was unaware of the struggle for its protection.

'What'll happen to him now?' Schuyler asked, curling up on the chair.

Alice sighed, shrugging. 'He'll have to report back to the Venators, I suppose. He knew our secret from the beginning, but there will definitely be questions about how he made it back.' Her expression darkened. 'I'm only worried that if he doesn't disclose what _we_ did down there to get him out, the Coven will think Lucifer set him free.'

'And they'll think he's been sided with Lucifer all along,' Jack said, understanding.

'Exactly.' Dominic was slicing pieces off a bright shiny apple, popping the pieces into his mouth as he went. 'But we'll let him recover first before we decide what to do next.'

* * *

Schuyler and Jack spent the next day by the pool; Jack did laps, with Schuyler sitting at the edge with a glass Chianti, her legs dangling in the water. There wasn't much they could do; they couldn't exactly leave Kingsley as he was, so needed to stay in Florence until he was awake and well. In the meantime, Schuyler took advantage of the resort facilities of the Villa.

'Come swim,' Jack said, pulling gently on her ankle.

Shaking her head, Schuyler smiled. 'I don't want to.' With his hair sodden and wet, droplets on his face, he looked so handsome. The water around him reflected the sunlight and sent shivering lines of light streaking across his face. Schuyler tugged her leg away.

Jack frowned playfully. 'Why not?' He moved between her legs, his wet hands sliding up her hips. 'You can swim, can't you?' He was close to her now, his mouth just kissing her chin.

Schuyler put her glass down beside her, and put her hands on his shoulders. 'Yeah,' she said. She felt his arms wind around her, at any moment threatening to pull her into the water. 'Don't,' she warned.

But Jack was pressing his lips to her collarbone, and up the side of her neck. 'It's just a little water, Sky,' he murmured, smiling against her skin. 'Just take a dip with me.'

'Don't, Jack,' Schuyler laughed, feeling his arms tighten. 'Don't you dare.'

There was a teasing glint in his eyes. 'If you don't jump in...' He pulled her closer to the edge of the pool, his breath tickling her ear. 'I'm going to make you.' Schuyler still refused, shaking her head – and so Jack, with one sharp tug, yanked her in.

* * *

'I almost lost you,' Dominic whispered, lying on the grass of the private garden. He was on his back, his fingers stroking Alice's cheek.

Alice smiled softly, kissing his fingertips. 'No, you didn't.' But she knew his constant fear for her, knew that if he had come in a minute later than he had, she might have faced serious danger. Even she could not face the legions of Hell and one of the Morningstar's commanders alone. They had fought their way to Kingsley, grabbed him, and run for their lives. Kingsley could barely take any more of the torture, despite his smile. But what Alice could not draw her mind away from was the actual fight in the glom... It was as though she had breathed oxygen for the very first time. It invigorated her, exhilarated her. Made the blood pump through her veins with a new kind vigour she'd not known in this life before. The power she possessed had remained dormant for so long, and to use it again... If it hadn't been for Kingsley, she thought she might've stayed a bit longer to enjoy the battle. Her love, however, was a peaceful creature. He did not fight unless it was necessary, more often than not to defend rather than to attack.

Dominic didn't frown, but he cupped her cheek. 'I could have.' It tore him apart to think that he could lose her, his light, his spirit's love and companion. 'You know it.' He pushed himself up on his elbows, and Alice kissed him. They could have been at school, lolling about the grounds as they always did, falling asleep with open textbooks underneath trees, hiding in the dark corners of the school theatre, smothering giggles and laughs as teachers passed by none the wiser. Lying on the grass, soaking up the sunshine here in Florence... They could have been back at Calverton Hall. Dominic wondered for a moment what Rupert, his closest friend beside Alice, was doing then. He hoped he wasn't worrying; Rupert had always been a terrible fusspot.

Sensing her companion's line of thought, Alice said, 'D'you think Huntley's okay?' She had not thought of him for a while, and had avoided calling or messaging in case it made him feel worse about not coming.

'He's probably hanging out with Rup,' Dominic sighed, resting his head back on one hand. 'But I think they'll be all right, in time.' He did not – never did – like the system of Conduits. Red Bloods did enough providing themselves, albeit unknowingly, as familiars. It took away so many things for them; did the Blue Bloods really need the Conduits too? Perhaps something similar, but not lifetimes and oaths to service. But when he had befriended Rupert, he had not known his true intent, only that they got along very well. And despite all Dominic's protests, Rupert had stuck to him since, until now of course.

'I hope so.' Alice rested her cheek against him, and traced with her fingers on Dominic's chest. She needed to talk to Kingsley, and then finish reading her old diary. She wanted answers, but she would have to wait. Alice sighed, pressing herself against Dominic's side; he held her there with a strong arm.

* * *

Kingsley was awake on the third day, and had done so with such a voracious appetite, the kitchen staff wondered if the guests in the Presidential suite were holding a feast for themselves; there was enough food for a banquet. But Kingsley sat in the bed, wolfing it all down as though he had been holding his breath and had suddenly let go after years.

'Does that actually help?' Jack asked, motioning to the half-devoured roast chicken sitting on the trolley overloaded with everything the kitchen could possibly send up. There was still more coming. 'I mean, you don't have to eat, exactly, and you'd ideally need our blood...'

'It helps. Trust me,' Kingsley replied, tearing another leg off the golden bird and stripping it of meat with his teeth.

'To stay alive,' Dominic filled in, 'he needs nothing. But to help him recover, food will suffice.' He waved in another trolley of room service – this time laden with a tray of grilled whole fish and vegetables. He smiled as Kingsley's face brightened at the sight.

Alice was sitting on cross-legged on the bed, facing Kingsley. She laughed as he picked into the fish with his fingers and nearly cleaned it of flesh in one go. 'Hell hasn't changed your eating habits, I see.'

Kingsley chuckled, licking his fingers. 'What the hell were you doing at the Gate, anyway?' He was looking around the room. 'Aren't you supposed to be in study hall?' he teased. And then he eyed Jack and Schuyler, making a face, but saying nothing.

'Just making sure it was still secure,' Dominic told him. 'What happened, exactly?'

Pausing his hungry feast, Kingsley wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 'Lucifer sensed Uriel at the borderlands, near the Gate.' He shrugged, sighing. 'He knew his cronies couldn't touch her so long as she stayed on the other side, so they dragged me along as lure. Asmodeus was here on earth, but Lucifer called to him through the glom. The Morningstar knew you would try to get me back, that you wouldn't leave me there.' He grinned at Alice. 'You were always so odd, so astute but brimming with impulsiveness.' Uriel was the transcendent embodiment of oddities and contradictions.

'Why did it matter that Alice was at the Gate?' Schuyler asked. 'What did Lucifer want with her?'

Kingsley looked at Alice, staring at her expressionlessly. 'She has to remember.' He winked at her, abruptly resuming the demolition of his spread. 'Read the diary, Little One.'

Alice frowned. She reached over and pulled the leather-bound notebook out of a drawer in the bedside, flicking through it.

'How far are you through it?' Kingsley inquired, taking apart the rest of the chicken.

'About halfway,' Dominic said. When no one was around, at school and elsewhere, he and Alice would read the diary together, and so far it had brought back a lot of memories, but still not enough to answer so many questions. And besides, there were more entries in it than they thought had been. Either Alice had once been a keen writer, or she had had far too much time on her hands.

'Why won't you just tell us?' Alice stared him hard in the eye. 'Why can't you tell me?'

Kingsley slowed his chewing, swallowing and turning sombre again. 'Forgive me, Uriel, but I don't believe it is my place to say. And dare I say, I don't think you're quite ready to know yet.' He looked around at them all. 'So, what exactly are you four doing in Florence anyway?'

* * *

Kinda bang bang bang, I think. I had a battle scene, but I thought it might be a little premature, especially with what I've got later on in the story... I haven't been doing many cliffhangers in this story. Maybe I should...

I guess I'll hang up my usual threat - which I took away the last chapter, because I thought it was horrible. **_Feedback_**, my children! **_Review!_** Or you'll never know what happen...

;)


	10. The Next Gate

I had some trouble uploading the last couple of chapters, but anyway, the story _really _starts here and in the last one, I think. I thought I might have been a little flat for the first third of the story, but hopefully everything'll get better from here.

And... Let me know you're out there reading, 'kay?

_

* * *

_

Uriel. Awaken, my sister.

Alice grumbled and rolled over in the bed. It was far too early.

'Alice,' Allegra said, reaching over with a hand and shaking her shoulder gently. 'Wake up, Little One.'

Little One... Alice sighed. It had been so long since she had called her that. She opened her eyes and blinked. She was home, at Perryton House. Allegra was sitting beside her, as though she had been lying awake while her younger sister had curled into a ball and slept. But that hadn't happened. Alice was in Florence, with everyone else, and Allegra was... Wherever she was. But when the younger of them turned and looked up into her sister's face, it felt as though she had done it so many times before, as though she had crawled into her bed before seeking warmth and cuddles. Alice sat up. 'Why does Lucifer want me?' she demanded. She suddenly realised that this was unlike her other dreams, unlike the other times Allegra visited.

Her memories were still incomplete.

'Meditate,' Allegra answered. 'Find your memories. The answers you seek will be there.'

Alice groaned in frustration – why the hell couldn't anyone just be straight with her anymore? 'Why can't you just tell me?' First Kingsley, and now her own sister too?

'You will know in time,' Allegra said, smiling. 'Come now, you are still Uriel the Wise, are you not?'

Wanting to swear, Alice avoided glaring at the woman who so resembled her by glaring at her sheets instead. 'What do you want? Why did you come?' She had spent no time in the real world with this woman, but felt the same way a girl did when her older sister scolded her; Alice was annoyed and snappy. 'Shouldn't you be visiting your daughter?'

'She has you, for now.' Allegra reached out again, and Alice let her; she was not so childish to do otherwise. 'I am glad. And thankful.' She stroked Alice's back absently. 'She has not had someone the way you have had Hasdiel.'

'Why are you here?' Alice asked again.

Allegra's face turned grave. 'I have come to ask for your help.'

A part of Alice wanted to snort – she was babysitting her daughter, wasn't that helping already? – but she turned and listened anyway. But part of her very soul had been touched with cold – had something happened?

'I have found Charles – but he is weak. He has been fighting, fighting for so long without any blood from his familiars... We are trapped in a place in between the worlds where demons and angels can pass freely, where the Silver Bloods can now come with free reign. I can hold them off for a while longer, but...'

'What do you want me to do?

* * *

'So, the Van Alen legacy,' Kingsley breathed. 'Interesting. Not easy, but interesting.' He leaned into his chair and began to swing. 'Where's the next Gate?'

Schuyler stirred her ice tea. 'Shanghai.'

'Ooh,' Kingsley said. 'Sounds fun.'

Jack turned to Dominic. 'Where's Alice?'

'Reading the diary. Trying to figure out what smartass over here,' – he jerked his thumb at Kingsley who grinned with cheesiness Schuyler hadn't thought him capable of – 'won't tell her.' It disturbed him too, though. What did the Morningstar want with Uriel? He thought it was enough wanting Schuyler's blood spilled, but for him to come after Alice... He wanted to remember, needed to, but Alice had told him to go down to lunch with the others. They would worry if both of them made no appearance.

'So, when are you headed to Shanghai?' Kingsley was dipping his hunk of bread in olive oil quite liberally before shoving it into his mouth.

Schuyler looked to Dominic; they had been paying for them the entire time. She felt a little guilty. Jack would have paid, if it weren't so risky to touch the Force accounts. Someone in New York would have found out, and would have somehow tracked them. They were under the European Coven's protection, but if the New York Committee were to go loggerheads against them, demanding she and Jack return, Alice and Dominic's presence would have been questioned. It was just all too chancy.

Dominic was doing the same to his piece of bread when he said, 'We could leave tonight, if you like. Give me some time to prepare for our arrival, but it won't take too long.'

'Don't see any time to waste,' Jack said. 'The sooner we talk to the gatekeeper the better.'

'What are you going to do now, Kingsley?' Schuyler looked at the man opposite her; she had not seen him since the bonding, since that day. Would he go to Mimi, tell her what had happened? Tell her where to find Jack so that she could –

'Kingsley!'

They followed the voice and, standing in the open doorway, was Alice.

'A word,' she said, turning around and heading back inside. She did not sound pleased.

Schuyler craned her neck to see the two of them talking inside, strained her ears to hear, and heard nothing, but then she realised why. They weren't actually talking _out loud_. Damn it.

'What's going on?' Jack asked, looking at Dominic, who shook his head.

'Not a clue.'

* * *

'Schuyler.'

Schuyler was folding her things into her bag when Alice materialised at her doorway. She smiled at her. 'Hey Alice.'

Alice tried to smile back, but it was very weak. 'I'm not coming with you to Shanghai.'

_Again?_ Schuyler wanted to say. 'Why not? If it's about your identity – '

'No, no, it's not that.' Alice crossed her ankles as she leaned on the doorway. 'There are some... Things I need to tie up.'

It suddenly hit Schuyler – _she was leaving her._ 'You – you're going somewhere?' she said, no more than a whisper. She wanted to frown, to feel angry, but all she felt was that Alice was leaving her, just like Allegra.

'That's not it!' Alice cried, coming into the room, and putting her hands on Schuyler's shoulders. 'That's not it at all.' She hadn't meant to look into Schuyler's mind, but when she saw that face, the face that thought she was abandoning her... 'I need to do something, Sky, but you need to do something too, and neither of us can ignore them.'

'I thought you came with me to help me,' Schuyler said quietly. She was being selfish, maybe, but didn't she have the right to be? Was it so wrong to want what she wanted when it had been held away from her for so long?

'I did,' Alice pleaded. 'I came with you to help you in any way I could – but there is something I need to do, something that has been asked of me, and I can't ignore it. I want to stay with you, Sky, I do, but I need to do this too.' She smiled hopefully. 'Like I said, only a phone call away, okay?'

So she wasn't disappearing into never never wherever angels could go but couldn't be followed. 'But – no...'

'Don't worry,' Alice said. 'Dominic will be with you.'

Schuyler snapped her head upward. 'Dominic's not coming with you?'

'He will remain with you.'

'So – so you're going alone?'

Alice smiled wryly. 'Not quite alone.'

Schuyler looked at her, confused. 'Who – ' _Kingsley_. Of course. 'Where are you going?'

Sighing, Alice looked at the floor, and then at Schuyler. 'Not too far, I don't think.' She pulled Schuyler in for a hug, and both could not seem to let go for a long while. 'I won't be gone too long. I'll try to meet up with you in Shanghai, okay? Or if not there, wherever you're headed. I'm not leaving you, Schuyler. I have something to do before anything else, that's all.'

'But – but I can call you, right?' Schuyler wanted at least that. She certainly couldn't make an inter-universal call to her mother and ask how she was going – but she could still have Alice nearby, if only the sound of her voice.

Alice laughed. 'Yes.'

* * *

Kingsley was already waiting the airport. 'Come on, Al. You'll end up causing air traffic when you're this slow.'

Alice ignored the crack, and Schuyler realised that they needed to head to separate terminals. She watched as Alice and Dominic held each other and said goodbye.

'Alice,' Dominic said softly, holding her face in his hands, their faces so close their noses touched and foreheads met. 'Please be careful.' It made him edgy, nervous to know he would not be there, or anywhere near enough, to protect her, even though she knew quite well how to take care of herself.

But Alice did not laugh off his warning. 'I will.' She kissed his mouth, his cheek, his nose, and then she felt his lips kissing all over her face and his warm breath.

'I hate being away from you,' he murmured. Dominic pressed his face where her shoulder met her neck and breathed her scent deep, as though he would not for a long time.

'I know,' she whispered. He hated being away from her so much he had deserted the light and warmth of the Almighty for her, had left Paradise itself to be with her. And there were days that she hated herself for that. Alice held onto him; he was taller than she, by a good several inches, but their bodies seemed to fit, to match like a key and a lock, a hand and a tailored glove. No one else would ever fit with them the way they did with each other.

'Come back to me, all right?' The request was barely above a murmur, as though thinking about anything otherwise was painful. 'Don't get in too much trouble. I'm not going to be there to save your pretty little behind.' Dominic forced a shaky smile, and was gratified when the sad look on Alice's face was vanquished by it, and she smiled back at him.

'Shush, you.' Alice looked into his eyes, those loving, tender eyes the colour of silver and the sky. _I love you._

_I love you too. _Dominic sucked in a breath, bracing himself to pull away, but then Alice went on her toes and kissed his forehead.

_Protect her for me, love. _

_I will. _And speaking into Kingsley's mind too, to make sure he heard good and well, _And tell Kingsley if that there is so much as a bruise on you, I'll make sure he pays it back tenfold with his own hide._

Kingsley frowned. _Somehow, I don't think that's going to be a pleasant experience._

* * *

On the ten hour flight to Shanghai, Jack saw that Dominic did not sleep much – the guy didn't seem to sleep at all. He approached him warily, but Dominic turned at his presence and smiled.

'Not comfortable with her separating either, are you?' Jack said.

Dominic smiled dryly. 'Not particularly.' He stretched his long limbs and relaxed back into his chair. 'Haven't had much of a chance to talk, have we Jack?' Dominic appeared amused.

Jack grinned and shook his head. 'No.' He knew that, in the past, they had been great friends. Leaving for the New World had caused it to cut off, but not to end. 'You didn't miss much, except where Schuyler was concerned.'

'Ah, well. I'm a curious fellow.' Dominic sometimes wished his memories were whole, that he knew everything already, but this was part of the struggle he'd damned himself to – and now in every life, he had to be patient as pie. They all did. 'What happened to Allegra, exactly?' he asked. The Red Blood familiar she'd married and had Schuyler with was as much as he knew. 'Was she affected in any way?'

'No, not that I'm aware of.' Jack scratched his temple. 'What I understand is that she went into a coma after refusing to take another familiar.'

Dominic looked pensive. 'Hm. How curious.'

Jack stared. 'What do you mean?'

'I've come to understand Blue Blood ailments and the workings of our bodies more so than anyone else that has ever walked this earth, Jack,' he said, leaning into his chair and looking out the window. 'This, at least, I remember. And ever since Sophia's prediction, I have wondered on the outcomes of Allegra's fate. If what you say is true, then my theory will be correct.'

* * *

The St. Regis Shanghai Hotel was a self-proclaimed 6-star hotel located in the heart of Pudong. It was near impossible to get a reservation on such short notice, and for nearly everyone, _literally_ impossible to book the one and only Imperial Suite – on any day.

Dominic Stoneleigh, however, was not included in that majority.

'How about the Qing family?'

'Or maybe the Wu clan?'

Schuyler was pointing to a page in one of Lawrence's notebooks; the Gate of Truth was supposedly guarded by a Blue Blood family based there in Shanghai – but that was as far as Lawrence had gathered. The family had not been named, probably because he had not found them, and were likely to be any one of a number of prominent, wealthy Chinese Blue Blood families.

Figuring out which one, however, was not going to be easy.

'This could take us weeks,' Jack groaned, lying on the floor, his wrist over his eyes; he smiled when Schuyler poked his cheek from above with her finger as she lay on her stomach on the bed.

'Looks like we'll have to do some investigating,' Dominic said, standing at the window, arms folded leisurely over his broad chest. The Imperial Suite had a spectacular view of the Bund and the Shanghai skyline. 'I don't mean to sound self-absorbed, but believe me when I say that it's probably no secret that I'm in town by now.' He chuckled slightly. 'Half the Blue Bloods in the city will know I'm here.'

'Which means what for us?' Schuyler asked.

'Which means,' Dominic laughed, turning around to face them, 'that you have your tickets into everything here. There are events and parties and dinners that I am being invited to as we speak. You can do some research there, ask around. Don't be too nosy, though. If you're proficient at using the glom – which I assume you are, considering you're still alive – then a little push and suggest wouldn't hurt either. And it'll help you avoid being asked any real questions yourselves.' And somehow on cue, there was a knock at the door; Dominic answered, and found that it was one of famous St. Regis Butlers servicing their floor (the 40th).

Schuyler heard them talking briefly, and then a final, 'Ah, yes, _xie xie,_' from Dominic.

He returned, and picked up the house phone. 'Hello... Yes, this is he... Tomorrow night? At the Shangri-La, did you say?' Dominic met Schuyler's eyes and winked. 'Well, I would love to, really I would, but I'm afraid I have to decline...'

The other two sat up like springs, sharing a look. _What?_

'...Oh, do tell Mr and Mrs Qing that I send my regrets – am I attending another event that night? Oh no, you see, I'm actually visiting Shanghai with some guests, and it would be _terribly_ rude of me to simply leave them – oh, the invitation is extended to my guests? Oh, I see. I see. Well. In that case... Yes, of course. Black tie, hm... Then we'll be there. Send Mr and Mrs Qing my regards nonetheless. All right. Bye now.' Dominic swivelled on his heel, and said with a smug look that did not suit him at all, 'And _that_, my friends, is how it's done.'

'Where are we going?' Jack asked.

'It just so happens to be Han Qing's – head of the Qing family – birthday tomorrow night. And everyone who might be worth talking to about the Gate is going to be there.' Dominic grinned mischievously. 'Time to go shopping!'

* * *

...Maybe it was a little higgledy-piggledy :(

But it's better structured in the next. Drop me a line, dears, tell me what you think.

spiffy


	11. Shanghai Knights! I mean, Vampires!

Shaaaaanghai! :)

* * *

The 24-hour Butler Service was perhaps Schuyler's favourite part of staying at the St Regis Hotel. Not only did they act as personal concierges, but they also made calls to the high-end boutiques and department stores in the Pudong area – Ferragamo, Armani and Burberry to name a few – and could bring racks of gowns to the suite for her to try.

So when the limousine the St Regis provided pulled up at the Shangri-La Shanghai Hotel, its glass and metal facade gleaming with the lights from inside, she, Jack and Dominic emerged dressed impeccably. The two boys cut dashing, head-turning figures in tailored Armani and Hugo Boss tuxedos, both tall and handsome, they looked sophisticated with a generous sprinkling of classic old world glamour. Schuyler, on the other hand, was wearing a strapless, midnight blue Vera Wang creation, her hair high on her head, her creamy, bare shoulders on show. Her throat was lined in a simple, but dazzling chain of diamonds, and from it a single blue stone was cradled on her chest.

Schuyler felt eyes on her like sunbeams when she stood by Jack and Dominic, but felt safe too; the boys were like twin columns, surrounding her and protecting her from too harsh onlookers. There was no paparazzi, no blinding flashes from the camera, and it was a clear night; she could see the lights of the city bright against the dark of the night. She took both Jack's and Dominic's arms, walking between them. Jack kissed her cheek as they walked, and Schuyler turned to see a smile on his face that made her heart hitch.

The party was being held in the hotel's Grand Ballroom on the third floor, in the River Wing, and on either side of the doors was a tailcoated footman, one standing to attention, the other standing with a woman in a cream pantsuit behind a dark-wooded lectern.

Dominic, Jack and Schuyler approached, and the woman said, 'Name?'

'Stoneleigh.' Dominic's voice was like silk, and the woman visibly blushed. 'Plus two.'

The woman looked down at the lectern and said, 'Table 14.' The man wearing tailcoats swept his hand before them, ushering them in.

Dominic nodded, and the three of them walked into the ballroom. It was a lushly carpeted, lushly decorated room, with several chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the walls were painted burgundy and lined with marble. The setup was akin almost to that of a Western wedding; space had been made for dancing and a live band (currently playing Bach's Magnificat), while the round dining tables had been placed around it, a long table behind the dance floor dedicated to the birthday celebrant and his family. Guests consisted of sharp-suited business men and graceful women in elegant gowns.

'This ought to be fun,' Dominic murmured to the both of them, and while Jack laughed, Schuyler wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

'Lord Calthorpe!'

A thickset Chinese man came toward them; jolly-looking and somewhat short, he reminded Schuyler of a very stout elf.

'Mr Qing,' Dominic said, bowing slightly. 'Happy birthday, sir.'

Han Qing clapped his hands, and saying something about being glad that Dominic could make it, turned his attention to Schuyler and Jack. 'And who are your friends?' His English was clear, and his frequent lessons in it were obvious.

'Ah,' Dominic laughed, as though remembering, 'I apologise. This is Miss Schuyler van Alen and Mr Benjamin Force.'

Jack offered a hand, and the birthday celebrant took it. 'Force?' he asked. 'Charles' son?'

'The one and the same, sir.' Jack smiled politely.

Han Qing took Schuyler's hand as well, blinking and peering at her, but was speaking to Dominic when he said, 'I take Alice did not accompany you to Shanghai?' He glanced back at Schuyler, slightly unnerved.

'No, no unfortunately she has been held back in England,' Dominic said apologetically. 'But she sends her regards.' A few more pleasantries were exchanged before Han Qing toddled over to his other guests, and Dominic directed them to their table. 'He thought you were Alice, for a moment,' he said to Schuyler as they sat down.

The banquet was a fusion of classical French and traditional Chinese, and while Schuyler felt like poking some of her courses with her fork to see if they jumped out at her, everything was undeniably delicious.

Also at the table was the Chen family, with a pair of twin daughters who had been presented at the Four Hundred Ball in New York when Jack and Mimi had.

'I thought I recognised you!' Dehua Chen giggled as waiters cleared the tables of the baked lobster in broth. She and her sister were the same as they had been at the Ball; gorgeous, slender, with sleek black hair and equally dark eyes.

Jack smiled back. Dehua Chen had been introduced at the Ball as the Angel of Immortality, and her twin the Angel of Mercy.

'Where is your sister?' Deming Chen tilted her head curiously.

At this, Schuyler squirmed. Of course they would expect Abbadon to appear with Azrael. They were probably wondering who the hell _she_ was.

'In New York, still,' Jack said smoothly, as though the question did not bother him. 'She was unable to come.'

'Oh.' Deming drew her attention to Schuyler, smiling kindly. 'You were at the Ball, too, weren't you?'

'Y-... Yes.' Schuyler nodded. 'But I'm not of age yet.' She looked down at her hands nervously.

'What brings you to Shanghai, Dominic?' Mrs Chen asked across the table. 'Is it school holiday time in England?'

'Ah... No, no not quite.' Dominic cleared his throat, sipping his wine. 'My father sent me on some business errands involving the Forces.' He smiled ruefully. 'And you know Father – nothing gets in the way of business.'

* * *

'I've got to exchange some pleasantries,' Dominic said quietly to Schuyler as he stood. 'I'll see if I can find out anything.' Schuyler heard the smile in his voice when he added, 'Although, you two are attracting quite the attention yourselves.' She watched him go, greeting a group of guests.

'How are you enjoying Shanghai?' Dehua asked. Dinner was finished, and now guests were rising from their tables to mingle, most too full to attempt to dance just yet.

'Um...' The truth was that they had barely left the hotel. Even shopping had been brought to them, and they hadn't needed to venture out into the city at all. Schuyler opened her mouth, but Jack spoke first.

'We only arrived yesterday,' he said, sounding apologetic, 'so we haven't been around the city much. But what we've seen so far is wonderful.' Jack felt Schuyler's hand slide into his, and he squeezed gently.

* * *

'Lawrence van Alen?' Han Qing appeared to think. 'Yes, yes I know of him. Why?'

'Sir,' Dominic said quietly, 'Lawrence van Alen's work is something of great interest to my family. He was trying to find the seven families of the Conclave – the guardians of the Paths of the Dead.'

Han looked at Dominic with great interest. 'Oh?'

'His research leads me here to Shanghai,' he went on. 'Do you know of anything?'

'Nothing useful, I am afraid,' Han Qing replied. He leaned upward to whisper in Dominic's ear, 'However, you might be luckier speaking to the Chen family.'

* * *

'I like your dress,' Deming said to Schuyler. 'The one you wore at the Ball was beautiful too. You have very good taste,' she teased.

Schuyler tried to hide her blush from flattery. 'Thanks.' She saw Deming's dress, a cream-coloured Ralph Lauren. It was not eye-catching, but was very elegant. 'Yours is nice too.' Beside her, she saw Dehua flirting with Jack, but was comforted by the fact that Jack was only being very polite in return, and was still holding her hand, stroking the backs of her fingers with the pad of his thumb.

'If Jack and Dominic are here on their father's business,' Deming said, 'are you here for a holiday?'

'Um, I guess. I just sort of...' Actually, Jack came with me, and we're really looking for a bunch of gatekeepers, Schuyler wanted to say. '...tagged along.'

'Oh.'

'I'm so sorry,' came a voice, putting a hand on the backs of Jack's and Schuyler's chairs, 'but I'm going to have to borrow them from you for a moment.'

Schuyler turned, and realised that it was Dominic, and he was talking to the Chen twins.

Dehua and Deming nodded in unison.

Jack stood from his seat and Schuyler followed; Dominic led them away to near the wall.

'What is it?' Jack asked.

'The Chens might know something about the Gate.' Dominic looked over Jack's shoulder at the Chen twins, now talking together at the table. 'Seems like you've got them talking already, but Qing's told me that they should be the ones you need to talk to. A vague lead, but it's the only one we have.'

Schuyler turned slightly to see the twins. 'Do you think that they're one of the gatekeepers?'

Dominic ruffled his hair, letting out a sigh. 'Could be one of the parents. But we've got to speak to them.' He spotted Mr and Mrs Chen by the dance floor. 'I'll make a start with the parents – you've already started working on the twins.'

* * *

'A Gate?'

'No, not that I've heard.'

'Why?'

Jack pressed his lips into a line. 'Uh – I heard someone talking about it earlier. Thought you might know what they were going on about.'

Deming shrugged, her slender shoulders moving up ever so slightly. 'Sorry we can't help you.' She turned to look at her sister. 'Could you imagine a Gate like that here in Shanghai?' She and Dehua laughed. 'We've already got a million skyscrapers!'

Schuyler leaned toward Jack. 'I don't think they're lying.'

'Doesn't look like it.' Jack glanced at the twins again; they were still laughing about it. If they were lying, then they had some _serious_ skills.

'Where's Dominic?' Schuyler asked. She craned her neck, but there was no sign of the tall blond boy anywhere in the ballroom. 'I can't see him anywhere.'

'Maybe he's having a smoke,' Jack said. Although, he had never seen Dominic smoke. So where the hell was he?

'I'm going to check the foyer,' Schuyler said, but at that moment, she felt her iPhone vibrate in her purse. She pulled it out to see Oliver had finally replied:

_sorry this is so late. miss u 2. mom says she hopes that ur having fun in europe. the committee's kinda still in recovery. don't really know what's happening in there, but they've laid off my family for now. how are you? where are you now? Ollie xx_

Schuyler smiled; she missed him, and wished he were here, helping her. She stared at the screen for a couple of seconds – she would reply later – before standing. 'I'm going to look outside.'

Jack stood with her. 'I'll come.'

* * *

'I don't know how the hell you found me, but I give you credit for it anyway,' Dominic said.

Schuyler and Jack had indeed found him in the foyer, but with a boy who matched him in height, and although didn't quite rival him for looks, was easily one of the best-looking boys Schuyler had ever seen. He was almost pretty, with smooth dark hair that brushed his shoulders, high cheekbones and a fine jaw.

'I hope you realise how long it took me to track you down,' Rupert told him.

Dominic grinned, and put a hand into his trouser pocket. 'I wish it had taken you longer.' He turned to look back into the ballroom, and saw Schuyler and Jack standing there. 'Oh.' He ruffled his hair again. 'I suppose an introduction is in order... Jack, Schuyler, this is my Conduit, Rupert.' Dominic shook his head. 'Can't say I'm altogether unhappy you're here.' But he raised a brow and seemed to expect someone to come up behind his Conduit. 'Where's Huntley?'

Rupert chuckled a deep and amused sound. 'Turning the world upside down looking for Alice, of course.' He looked surprised. 'Where else?'

Laughing again, Dominic sighed. 'She's going to kill him if he finds her.'

'_When_ he finds her,' Rupert corrected, amused. He cleared his throat and looked to Jack and Schuyler. 'So, how are we going on our quest?'

* * *

Schuyler and the boys returned to the ballroom (it seemed Rupert had somehow merited an invitation as well), but the Chen twins and their parents were no longer there. When Dominic asked around, they found that the Chens had left a short while ago, saying that they apologised but Mrs Chen was not feeling so well.

'Don't worry,' Rupert assured as the elevator in the St Regis hotel climbed upward to the 40th floor. 'I'll get their address. The twins will see you, if not their parents.'

'It's the parents we need to see,' Dominic groaned.

Rupert chuckled again. 'We'll speak to them in time. You need to get friendlier with the twins – Mr and Mrs Chen are notoriously hawk-like when it comes to their daughter's associations. If you three get close enough to them, then you'll be invited for dinner. It's the Chen's way of er... _Inspecting_ people.'

'Oh, that sounds fun,' Jack said sourly.

''Fraid that's the way it works,' Rupert replied, pulling out a cigarette as the elevator doors opened at their suite.

Dominic shook his head, looking almost disbelieving. 'You certainly did your research before you got here, didn't you?' They exited the elevator, and he threw his dinner jacket on one of the sofas, lounging himself comfortably.

'I believe in being prepared, thank you very much.' Rupert lit his smoke and looked out the window. 'The Imperial Suite, Dom? Really?' He didn't turn around, but they could hear the amusement in his voice.

Jack and Schuyler sat down with them; Schuyler pulled off her heels (they had begun to feel like murder on her feet). She was so tired, but it was fun listening to the banter between Dominic and Rupert.

'It had the best view,' Dominic argued, laughing. 'And could you imagine me anywhere else?'

'But it's not the same without her, is it?'

Dominic's humour faded a little. 'No.' Rupert was right; it was different without her. 'But hey, might as well take advantage of the room service. I have a craving for caviar.' He reached a long arm over and dialled the butler's connection. 'Hi – would you be able to send up a tin – no, make that four tins of beluga caviar? Oh, and a big serving of smoked salmon while you're at it – and some lemon slices with that, of course – something to go with that? Ah, yes, some rye bread please. No, make that a lot of rye bread.' He propelled himself upward to look over at the minbar. 'Could you send up some extra Cristal as well? Um. Yes. Yes, that's all for now. Oh – no, wait! Get me some butter. A lot of nice butter. Yes. Make sure it's spreadable. You know, not all hard and clunky. Yep. All right, thank you.' He blinked when he found Rupert, Schuyler and Jack staring at him. 'What?'

* * *

Mm, I feel like smoked salmon on rye now too... And does anyone else get a good image of Rupert in their heads, or am I being too vague?

**_REVIEW!_**

spiffy


	12. A Hotel Room and A Nice Pretzel

I got a little excited, so here's the next chapter...

* * *

Rupert was endlessly handy; he could get information on anyone who was anyone, and was familiar with both the Blue Blood powers (he helped Dominic hone his) and the city of Shanghai. The former of which was why he was so helpful to Schuyler.

'So, get me to stand up and backhand Dominic across the face.'

Sitting on the other end of the room, Dominic looked up, alarmed. 'Wha – what?'

Schuyler stifled a laugh. 'Um, I'll try...' _Get up, get up – _but Rupert was still smiling at her, and was still seated. She was good at mind-control on the weak, but to master it she had to at least be able to influence those who were mentally primed and strong; she would start on Rupert, who had so far deflected her attempts, and then they would experiment on Jack, a Blue Blood, who had a much higher chance of deflecting or overturning the attempt altogether. Blue Bloods were infinitely more difficult to use the glom on. _STAND UP, STAND UP, STAND UP!_ She watched in satisfaction as Rupert began to twitch, his limbs beginning to betray his mind. He looked as though there were actual effort in denying the commands. _Stand up, Rupert! Stand up!_

'You – you're doing well,' he told her, his voice somewhat strained as he fought to stay as he was. He sounded impressed, even.

_GET UP!_

Rupert growled and his bottom lifted off the armrest of the chair, before he sat again.

Schuyler breathed out, the effort taking an equal toll on her. Rupert's mind was barely a puzzle – it was more like trying to penetrate a solid mountain before even _reaching _the puzzle. Her brows furrowed, but she beamed when she heard the sound of applause, and saw Dominic clapping his hands.

'Well done,' he said, grinning. 'Getting Rupert to do _anything_ is pretty damn impressive.' His Conduit had always been able to withstand so much mentally; it was like he had been born with the ability to repel the powers of the Blue Bloods.

'Now,' Rupert said, taking a deep breath to steady himself. 'Let's try again. If you can make me stand up, you can make me backhand Dominic right across his prettyboy face.'

* * *

Mimi Force spotted her driver amongst the cars waiting for the students at Duchesne and walked over as he moved to open her door. It had certainly been different in New York since the bonding – or lack thereof – and for one, Mimi felt like she was the only one holding onto her pride and dignity. The Committee was not quite in tatters, but it certainly was not the same group of Blue Bloods it had been before. They were purposeless, still shaken and unsure of what to do next, so disbelieving of the fact that Azrael and Abbadon were not one, that everything they believed in was beginning to crack, piece by piece. Mimi still went to the Conclave when they called her, and she'd heard that they were considering negotiations with the European Coven. For what, Mimi couldn't begin to list – money, assurance; help in every shape and form. She wanted to laugh and hoot, but there was logic in the talks. The Committee was unable to recoup, to pull itself together after the shock of what had happened, to realise that the Morningstar was attempting to rise up again.

Mimi sighed, shaking her head. And then Jack and that half-blood had run away together – but the Conclave didn't seem to care, they were too absorbed by trying to scrape the last dregs of hope and power together to rebuild their strength. And then there was all this talk of the Uncorrupted; both Allegra and Charles were missing, and there was no one willing to lead them – they had all seen the mistake of looking to someone below the ranks. Of course, Mimi had been identified as a possible Regent (she couldn't help a smile at the thought), but she was far too young, too inexperienced, and not in full command of her memories. So the Conclave was, to Mimi, essentially a bumbling and frightened pack of once-powerful Blue Bloods, running around pretending to try and repair damage when they were all hiding away.

Snorting, Mimi slid into the car, dumped her bag beside her and folded her arms. She did not, however, realise that she was not alone.

'You must be Mimi.'

Mimi nearly leapt a foot off the leather as the voice rung clear into the car. She couldn't believe she didn't notice someone was there – but someone _was_, and the someone was a girl who was not only infuriatingly gorgeous, but seemed to emanate a sort of glow, a diffused light that made the normally dim space of the car interior much, much brighter. That lustrous blonde hair, the creamy, flawless skin, and looks that were so good it was almost beyond human – the girl was definitely a Blue Blood. 'Who the hell are you?' she snarled.

'You're so feisty.' The girl laughed. 'He was right about that.'

Who? Mimi wanted to ask. She noted the accent, undoubtedly English, and was immediately reminded of Kingsley – crisp consonants, perfectly rounded vowels, the constant playful teasing... She shook the image of him out of her mind, persistent as it was to resurface. 'Who are you?' She was... kind of familiar, actually. Like someone she knew – or used to. Was she somewhere in her memories? 'Do you have any _idea_ who I am?'

The stranger crossed her long, shapely legs, tightly encased in dark Rock and Republic jeans, watching Mimi reach for the door and realise with an angry sigh that it was locked. 'Do you think I would be here if I didn't?'

Mimi's lip curled as she turned to face her again. 'So who the hell are you? And what the _hell_ are you doing here?' The girl's face... God, where had she seen it?

She laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder, catching the meagre light coming in from the tinted window. 'Your impatience isn't very surprising, Azrael.' She folded her arms across her thin grey turtleneck, slightly lifting a foot and wiggling her toes through her red and black Louboutin Architeks, before piercing Mimi with the shock of her dark azure eyes. 'My name is Alice Anstruther-Black.'

Mimi didn't need to hear it again. She knew who they were; an old, aristocratic and ludicrously wealthy Blue Blood dynasty stretching back centuries, arguably the most powerful noble family in Europe next to the Regis there. But who was this girl? Who was Alice Anstruther-Black in terms of heavenly rank? 'And what are you doing hijacking my ride home?' she sneered. 'Don't you have your own, like, car?'

'I'm not here for the ride home, Mimi.' Alice sighed, glancing out the window. 'I'm here because I need your help.'

'My help?' Mimi thought her voice sounded a little too weak. She looked out Alice's window too – this wasn't the way she normally went. 'Where are you taking me?' She wanted to glare at the driver (he wasn't being paid to listen to strangers for crying out loud), but the partition had been raised. 'Where are we going?'

* * *

'Wha – what are we... Why are we...' Mimi couldn't put many words together as she stepped out of the car and found herself at the Time Warner Centre. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew that in the North Tower was the Mandarin Oriental – and the last time she had been there was...

'Just picking up some luggage,' Alice said conversationally.

Mimi couldn't help following her, feeling like a child, a puppy, like Alice was really the older, wiser one – when they looked the same goddamn age. Who _was_ she? But Mimi trailed her helplessly, unable to find something worth saying – or at least something insulting – before they took the lift and arrived at the reception of the Mandarin Oriental. She looked around, slightly disoriented.

'Something wrong?'

Alice's voice was kind now, and her expression was concerned, and Mimi couldn't bring herself to snap at her. 'N-no, I'm... I'm fine.' Alice had something about her that made Mimi want to smile and tell her things, things that perhaps she might have told Trinity if she had ever been around, if there were an actual relationship between them.

Alice smiled sympathetically. 'Hurry up, then.'

Mimi nodded, and they went up several floors and arrived at what she recognised as the Taipan Suite. But something then slithered up her spine, and she wasn't sure if it was something good or bad. There was someone in the room – someone that gave off an air of danger and sent alarm bells ringing. It snapped Mimi out of her slight stupor, and as Alice moved to open the door, Mimi stopped her. 'What's in there?' she asked suspiciously.

Alice blinked. '...My bags?'

Mimi rolled her eyes and put out her hand, and felt a small sigh of relief when Alice gave her the key card with no objection, although she was smiling, as though she were in on a practical joke, and Mimi was about to be the victim of it. Well, whatever was in the suite, Mimi wouldn't be fooled by it. She pulled her sword – a pin in her hair – out, and with a quick swipe of the card and shove at the door, burst in, the point of her blade aimed at the dark figure waiting there.

'Whoa, whoa – take it easy Force!'

* * *

Mimi Force stood dumbstruck at the sight before her. Her sword hand wavered. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. 'K-... Kingsley?' she whispered.

The handsome Venator and Silver Blood waved his hand at her as though making something obvious. He eyed the blade. '...Hello to you too.' He met Alice's eyes as she stood behind Mimi, stifling a snigger, and laughed a little too. But before he turned to Mimi again, her sword had dropped to the carpet and she had flung herself against him, wrapping around him with lithe, soft limbs.

'It's you,' she said weakly, 'it's really you...' She felt the hot sting at the back of her eyes – she was crying.

Kingsley put his arms around her, kissing her hair and letting her press her face into his shoulder. Oh, he had missed her. In so many more ways than one. 'The one and only,' he said with a smile. She was warm, so warm... Contrary to what Red Bloods believed, Hell was more than just a flaming hot pit of molten death and sin. Part of the agony of being down there was knowing that you were all alone, alone to suffer, to be tortured for all eternity, and it chilled the soul, wrapped it in cold, unshakeable fear and loneliness... But now Mimi was here, in his arms, warm and sweet and soft...

'But – but how...' Mimi pulled away slightly to look into his eyes, saw the crimson and the silver, but saw the tenderness too. 'I thought...' But Kingsley only smiled at her, and motioned to the girl now busily looking away from the lovefest. 'Alice?' Mimi shook her head, trying to put it together. Okay, somebody was definitely not telling her something. Alice had to be – had to be someone _powerful_, someone who... She stared at Alice, who blinked again as if there was nothing to be confused about, and wondered... There were few she could think of that were capable of freeing someone from Hell. 'I...' Mimi saw it now. She saw the girl beside Gabrielle and Michael in the past, in her memories, saw that face that had so bothered her today. 'I remember...' But – but no, Alice couldn't be... She _couldn't_ be...

The look on Kingsley's face was enough. 'You'd better believe it, Force.'

Alice was sitting down at the dining table now, her chin in her hand. 'You knew me as Uriel, once.' Revealing herself was such a different experience than from what she had imagined. Catherine had wept in joy, and now _this_ one was staring at her like she had peanuts bursting from her ears. Oh, everyone had become so odd over the years. But, Alice supposed, that was part of the fun of life on earth.

'Uriel.' Mimi let the name tremble across her lips. 'Uriel... Uriel the Glorious.' She smiled faintly. Of all the Archangels, of all the angels of the Light other than the Morningstar, Uriel had always been her favourite. She was so unlike that meathead Michael, and so unlike her sister Gabrielle; she was like a firecracker, so unpredictable and yet so shrewd. And she was here, sitting before her, now looking slightly bored. Mimi felt a smirk curve her lips. 'I remember you.'

'Well, finally.' Alice sighed, leaning back and shaking her head. 'Took your time, didn't you?' Ah, Azrael. She remembered that Gabrielle used to say that they had a very similar temper problem. But then while she had consistently shifted between the poles like a yo-yo, between aggressive and docile, hostile and peaceful, kind and pitiless, Azrael had always just been impatient and haughty and forceful. They got along, though. But Alice didn't ponder too long on history. Not yet, anyway. 'Now that we have that cleared up, can we get something to eat?'

Kingsley laughed, and sliding his hand into Mimi's, and said, 'You fat cow, Alice.'

Alice looked insulted. 'Well, _excuuuuse_ me.' She was laughing then. 'And who was the one who nearly ate the hotel in Florence out of food? Hm? Hm?'

'Um,' Mimi said, pointing a finger between them, 'how do you two know each other, exactly?' She saw their playful, affectionate chitchat, and didn't like at all that she wasn't part of it. But Kingsley's hand was strong and soothing around hers, and his hold did not weaken one bit.

'Sort of run in the same circles back home,' Alice told her, grinning. 'Sort of.'

'Your dad doesn't like me very much,' Kingsley said airily. 'Still doesn't trust the Silver Blood gone good, does he?'

'Would you trust you?'

'...Probably not.'

Alice stood and exhaled. 'Okay, look, I'm going to stuff myself silly because I am starving, so I'll just leave you two to – er – catch up.' The smile on her face told Mimi that when she meant catch up, she was talking about something else entirely. Mimi, for the first time in a long time, felt her cheeks heat. She watched Alice go, calling from the door for them to 'have fun'.

When the door shut behind the blonde hair, Kingsley tugged on Mimi's hand in his to pull her against him. 'I missed you, you know,' he said. There was no teasing, no joke. He was completely serious, his face inches from hers.

Mimi couldn't meet his eyes, couldn't look straight into the eyes of the one whose name was, however secretly, written on her heart. She thought she would never see him again, thought she had lost him forever, but no, he was here, he was alive and real and holding her in his arms.

'You didn't miss me?' he queried when she remained silent.

'I did!' Mimi cried defensively. 'I – I did...'

Kingsley smiled his Cheshire smile, and moved so that his lips hovered just above hers. 'Then say so, Force.'

If Mimi's cheeks were warm before, they were burning now. 'I did miss you,' she said quietly, still looking away, fiddling with the cotton of his shirt. She had missed him so much, but hell if she would say so. She felt him shift, felt him pull away from her, and without a thought, her arms locked around him.

Kingsley looked surprised. 'Oh?'

She hated the way he was making her feel, as if she was the one who was pulling away, the one who was gone for so long. He made her feel so vulnerable, so powerless sometimes. Like now.

'You seemed happy to see me a while ago,' he remarked with a faint grin.

Mimi finally lifted her head and glared at him. She _was_ happy to see him, goddamn it. 'You're so stupid,' she said, irritated with him as well as herself. She wanted to hit him, to swipe that smug smile off his stupidly handsome face, when his hands were suddenly warm around her neck, sliding up to cup her face, his thumbs brushing against her jaw.

'Why are you so mad at me?' he murmured, before bending his head and pressing his mouth to hers.

Oh, she had missed his kisses too. Mimi was only held in shock for a fraction of a second before she reacted, kissing him back and shifting against him, but she moaned in disappointment when his lips left hers to drag across her skin and down her neck.

'So,' he said, his every word punctuated with a kiss, 'why – are – you – so – annoyed?'

'I'm not,' Mimi ground out. She wanted him to kiss her again, and slid a hand into his hair and pulled to raise his head so she could press her mouth to his. He was stupid, so stupid, but she wanted him so much she didn't care. She didn't care how he was here – why he was here – only that he was and she was the centre of his world.

For now.

* * *

Alice was walking through Central Park, having devoured three hot dogs, fries, and was now happily munching on a giant salted pretzel. Even if the Yanks had gone a bit weird over the centuries, they certainly knew how to stuff a stomach. She was near the fountain, and saw the preppy Manhattan boys eyeing her from the grass, despite the presence of their own girlfriends. She dumped the empty paper into a bin. Perhaps she ought to start on some dessert – but what was that dark green kiosk over there? Alice began to amble over, but then heard someone calling desperately, 'Mother! Mother!' Oh. It was probably some poor little girl who had lost her parents. She turned around – and nearly jumped and let out a yelp when she found herself face to face with a strikingly pretty teenage girl.

'M-mother?' she said, searching Alice's eyes with her own.

Alice opened her mouth, and then closed it again. 'Um... I don't think I'm quite who you're looking for,' she confessed, smiling apologetically. 'Sorry.' The girl withdrew a little, looking disbelieving and stunned. She was very pretty, with long, wavy, almost curly red hair and pale skin. She was a Red Blood, Alice sensed, but that face could have easily said otherwise; she was stunning.

'I – I'm so sorry,' the girl stammered, stepping back but still unable to tear her gaze away. 'You just – you just looked so much like – '

Her mother probably, Alice thought. From behind, she probably looked like a million different blonde-haired mothers. 'It's okay.' She smiled again, and thought the girl would walk away, but she just kept on _staring at her._ Alice wanted to squirm. She took a fleeting glance at the kiosk out of the corner of her eye. 'Hey, look, I'm just grabbing something to eat...' Many somethings, really, but the girl needn't know that. 'Did you want to join me?' She was a complete stranger, but Alice sort of felt like company, even if she was running around Central Park like a child in a sweetshop, stuffing her face.

The girl nodded, her expression as though she had been slapped with a frying pan while smiling.

* * *

Did ya like that? Did ya? Did ya?

We all know who that was, don't we? ;) Be prepared for the next instalment - in which I wrote one of the sweetest scenes I have ever written! Well, I think so, anyway. I might eat my words later... But for now...

REVIEW! This chapter deserved one, didn't it? Didn't it? Didn't it?


	13. To Limbo, And Beyond!

I have been deprived of internet for the past week or so, thus rendered incapable of uploading :( At last, the dear WWW returns to me!

I've recently changed the rating after some verification of exactly what classifies as what, and it's now under T :)

* * *

She had felt a niggling for a pastry, but Alice was instead polishing off the pancetta and mozzarella panini. She would have dessert after...

After another focaccia, maybe.

The girl who had mistaken her and was now nibbling at a slice of cake was named Bliss, she'd found. But the whole time, Bliss was unabashedly gazing at her with the oddest of looks.

'Not very hungry?' Alice said pointedly, eyeing the cake that had a small chunk eaten away.

Bliss shook her head furiously. 'No, no I am! I just – I'm dazed from...' She trailed off incoherently.

Alice shifted in her green chair, having finished her snack and wanting another quite readily.

'You really, _really_ look like someone I know,' Bliss said. 'I mean, not even her twin. You could be the same person... I'm just a little... Shocked, that's all.'

'Your mother?' Alice guessed. Well, Bliss _had_ been screaming 'Mother' at her.

'Well – yeah,' Bliss laughed weakly. 'Not that you look old, or anything. You just looked so much like her from far away, and – um...'

'Mm.' Alice twisted to look at the kiosk again before she said, 'I'll be right back.' She'd get another of what she had before, and then would have a cinnamon twist. Then a chocolate croissant. And then a strawberry tart. And a mocha with a shot of butterscotch syrup. Yes. That sounded good. Very good indeed.

* * *

The sun was well and gone, the city skyline dominating the view, and Mimi was still in bed. Not that she had been sleeping. Far from it. She burrowed further into the warmth Kingsley had left behind in the Fili d'Oro bed sheets, smiling to herself as the reason she had been in bed at this hour at all stepped out of the bathroom, his sodden dark hair curling at his nape. Mimi stretched languorously, one of her long legs beneath the sheet, the other exposed, and she knew he was relishing the sight. She watched his lips curve hungrily, but was taken aback when he shook his head, still smiling, as he turned back into the bathroom.

'Hey!' Mimi protested, sitting up and bringing the sheets with her. She was mildly annoyed that he had ignored her siren call (he had been perfectly willing all of the last several hours), and she frowned. Kingsley returned, another towel for his head in hand.

'Hey.'

She watched as he rubbed at his hair and then swung the towel over his shoulder, walking to one of his bags and pulling out his phone. He made a sound, and threw it back in.

'What are you doing in New York?' Mimi finally asked. Yeah, so he was back from Hell and had _clearly_ missed her, but that couldn't be the only reason he was in town. Not with Alice.

Kingsley smiled softly and slid back into the bed, pulling Mimi toward him, but she resisted. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. 'What are you pissed off about now?'

'I'm not pissed off,' Mimi snapped. She wrapped the sheet beneath her arms, covering herself. 'What are you doing here, Kingsley? Why are you here with Alice?' He raised a brow. Mocking her. Bastard.

'Got something against Alice, do you?'

'No, and stop changing the subject.' She folded her legs beneath the sheets and met his eyes. 'Just tell me, why are you here?' Why did he have to be so sincere one second, and so fickle the next? She slapped his hand away as it reached over to peel the sheets off of her. 'Answer me.'

He put his hands behind his head. 'I'm here to see you.'

'What else are you doing here?' Mimi tried not to feel too flattered. He _did_ have another blonde bombshell with him. 'What's Alice doing here?'

'She's here to see you too,' he said.

'What does she want?'

Kingsley sniffed and shrugged. 'She'll tell you when she gets back – which would be right about... Now.'

And on cue, the suite door opened, and Alice walked in, a pack of jalapeno crisps in her hand. She locked eyes with Kingsley first, and then Mimi; Mimi felt the urge to scramble out of the bed and put clothes on, but Alice didn't shriek. She didn't scream at their half-naked state and the obviousness of what they had done, or even stammer embarrassed apologies or shield her eyes. She only walked over to the bed, and offered Kingsley the pack she was eating out of and said, 'They're pretty good.'

Mimi stared at her. Was it normal for her to walk into... Situations like this?

'Want one?' Alice offered her the pack, but Mimi shook her head. Kingsley took the packet and began piling them into his mouth. 'Had fun catching up I see.'

Mimi didn't reply, but Kingsley grinned through the mouthful of potato chips. She wanted to swat him and to tell him to chew the damn chips first before he opened his mouth again. But she turned to Alice instead and said, 'What do you want from me?' Alice had had a very good way of avoiding her questions in the car.

'Your help.' Alice made Kingsley scoot over and he popped a chip into her mouth – Mimi didn't like it. She snatched the packet away and began to eat. Alice laughed. 'Don't worry, the Abomination is all yours.'

Kingsley gasped dramatically, and looked highly affronted. 'That was harsh, Al,' he chastised, but the three of them knew he wasn't serious, and neither was she.

Alice elbowed him and laughed again. 'Oh, did I hurt your feelings?'

'Yes. Yes you did.'

'Why do you need my help?' Mimi cut in. How was it so easy between them, when it was so hard for her to be serious with Kingsley half the time?

'I need access to the Repository here,' Alice told her. 'There's something I'm looking for, and I can't exactly waltz in there...'

'For what?'

Alice adjusted against the pillows. 'I can't say.'

'Then I can't help you.' Mimi savoured the minor triumph, in having the last word. Or so she thought.

'Mimi,' Kingsley said, putting his large, warm hand on her arm. 'Please.'

Mimi frowned. Why was he so on her side? Why were they so close? She fiddled with the sheet, before she saw Alice's wrist and the mark of the Archangel forever inscribed there. What did Uriel the Glorious and a Silver Blood have in common, anyway? 'What's in the Repository that you need?'

* * *

'What do you need those for?' Mimi asked, pointing to the list Alice and Kingsley were making. She didn't like being out of this little loop they had. She had guided them into the Repository, and now they were writing down things they found in the documents, names of places mostly. She tapped her fingers against the desk when they replied.

'You know, you can't tell anyone about who I am,' Alice said as though Mimi's question were at all relevant. She pencilled down another place. 'Especially the Conclave.'

'Yeah, yeah, fine.' Mimi watched them, engrossed in their task. 'What are all those places?' They were taking names down from random documents, from the look of it.

'You could call them spiritual hotspots, I suppose,' Alice said without pausing her work. 'Places where this world is closest to the gap between the next. They're rare, but once upon a time we didn't need them. We could freely pass between all the worlds the Almighty created.' She paused her explanation, but not her hand on the page. 'Or at least the ones you and Abbadon didn't destroy.'

Mimi flinched at her words. She was right, though. That had been hers and Jack's duty – to annihilate worlds and races, lands and peoples. But she shouldn't feel sorry – and Alice didn't sound accusing. Every world had its time, its final day; its own Apocalypse. This world just hadn't had it yet. 'And why do you need to find them?'

'Isn't that obvious?' Kingsley spoke this time. 'We're going to use them.'

'But _why_?'

'It doesn't concern you,' Alice snapped. Her patience was wearing thin.

She wanted to be mistaken, to think that it was cold inside the room, but Mimi knew that an undeniable shudder of fear had ripped through her at Alice's tone. She swallowed, trying to shake it away. She was Azrael, and fear did not visit her very often, but it disturbed her that it did now. 'Fine,' she said, trying to sound only vaguely annoyed instead of afraid, but her voice was no more than a rough whisper. Mimi watched as they continued, a tiny part of her hoping Kingsley would have said something, but he didn't. And suddenly everything that had happened between them today, everything in the hotel, everything she had wanted to believe was real and true, no longer mattered. Mimi glared at his back. He had been so – so _wonderful_, and now he was acting as though she didn't exist. If he cared, then he could have done something a little more to show it. She wanted to think that she saw him tense up as though he had sensed her thoughts, but Mimi chalked it up to her imagination.

* * *

'Hey – where are you going?' Mimi was walking to the car, but Alice and Kingsley were heading down the street. 'Car's over there.' Mimi saw Alice stop and turn. She said something to Kingsley, who walked back.

'This is where we have to part ways,' he said to her, raising his voice to be heard over the wind. It was still summer in New York, but for some reason, it had been particularly windy that day, and the air blew Mimi's blonde hair around wildly.

Mimi couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was leaving her? Again? When he had been the one to ask her to run away with him, and break her bond, and –

'Darling, please,' Kingsley said, putting a hand on her neck and touching her lips with his thumb. 'Don't think that.'

'You're the one who told me to leave with you and – and – and – ' She was choking, lost for anything to say. She was going to cry, and she was pissed off that she couldn't stop herself. He was back, at last he was back, but he was going again, and he was leaving her here and running off with Uriel the goddamned Glorious. She pulled her coat around her tighter, telling herself that she was wrapping her arms around herself because she was cold, and not because she felt abandoned and alone.

'It isn't like that,' he said defensively. He seemed shocked that Mimi would think anything was going on between him and Alice. 'It's not like that at all.' Kingsley wiped a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb. 'Mimi...'

Despite herself, Mimi let out a half-hysterical sob. Everything he had said, everything he had whispered in her ear when they had... She had let herself hold onto that dream, that dream of hope and love – all lies. He didn't want her. Didn't... Didn't...

'I love you, you know,' he said roughly, as though pointing out a scientific fact, bringing her face to look at his. 'Don't ever doubt that.' He kissed her, hard, like he wanted to make sure she knew. 'You'd better be waiting for me when I get back,' he warned, looking actually afraid that she mightn't.

Mimi was weak. Like her body had suddenly let her soul wander out for a second. He – he had said – he had said that... That he _loved_ her. He loved her. The fact echoed through her mind, reverberated into her soul. Kingsley loved her. That bastard. He had a terrible way of showing it. In fact, when he got back, she planned to make sure he said it as often as possible, because she quite liked hearing it, and wanted to hear him say it over and over and over and – oh God.

She loved him too.

'We'll go away when I come back,' he promised, his eyes the most tender Mimi had ever seen them. No teasing, no playfulness. Only love.

'Where?' Mimi asked, suddenly breathless.

'Anywhere.' Kingsley touched her face softly, and for a moment, Mimi felt as though they were back in the hotel room. 'Wherever you want, sweetheart.' And then he kissed her again, so gently...

Mimi kissed him back with all the joy in her soul, all the love in her heart. He loved her. And he would return for her. She was disappointed when he finally found the resolve to pull away, but then he lifted his head and pressed his lips to her forehead. The gesture was so warm, so loving, Mimi had to shut her eyes to try and stem the tears.

'Don't cry,' he begged, taking her face in between his hands. 'Please don't cry.'

She shook her head, gathering her strength. Mimi sniffed, using the backs of her hands to wipe her face. What was wrong with her? God, she needed to pull it together. She cleared her throat, and sniffed again. She was going to start bursting out crying randomly like a freak if she kept this up.

'That's my girl,' Kingsley whispered, smiling at her. 'Try not to be _too_ naughty.' He kissed her nose. 'But don't be too good either. I don't want you to not have any fun while I'm gone.'

Mimi burst out laughing, and nodded. And then he stepped back, and she wanted him to hold her again. She watched him turn away, walking off with the wind gusting against him in all directions, that Cheshire smile still plastered on his face, when she yelled out, 'Wait!'

Kingsley stopped and turned.

'Say you love me!' She said it loudly so that he heard her above the wind.

Kingsley smiled helplessly. 'I love you!' he shouted back.

Mimi felt her heart lift. 'I love you too!'

Kingsley froze for a moment, as though he could hardly believe what he was hearing, before his smile softened and his eyes were endlessly tender again. Poor, frail, unbound Tiberius was forever no more. He would never be alone again. His heart belonged to her – and now hers belonged to him too, no matter what the Code said. He would safeguard it, always. Cherish it forever. Agrippina, Mimi Force, Azrael – whoever she was and would be, she was his.

She didn't need to hear him say anything more. Mimi saw everything in his face, and watched him walk away, toward Alice who had somehow in the meantime had managed to grab a doner kebab from somewhere and was now happily halfway through it. She looked like the most content child in the world. What the hell, Mimi wanted to say. She wanted to laugh, and she began to, when Kingsley turned one last time, and waved, and then Mimi heard him in her head.

_Get out of here_, he sent. _Go do something fun._

_Where will you go?_

_For you, my darling, I'd go to Hell and back._

* * *

'I'm proud of you.' Alice was always made happy when she saw love work its wonder. And it always made her so hungry; she tore into the defenceless kebab and munched with a big, fat smile that made Kingsley laugh. She swallowed, licking her lips. Street food was her weakness. Alice pressed her lips together contemplatively. Should have asked for more garlic sauce. She had mints anyway. 'Want a bite?'

Kingsley took the wrap and tore off a generous part with his teeth.

'I said a bite, not a piece the size of my face.' Alice grabbed the wrap and held it defensively, narrowing her eyes at Kingsley before greedily finishing it in two clean bites not at all normal for a girl of her size and stature. 'Yum.' She sighed, dusting her hands off. 'So, the closest point is in Queens, right?'

Kingsley nodded, tightening his scarf. 'It's near the Kingsland Homestead.' He was wearing a black pea coat, and Alice a Burberry trench, although underneath hers was another two layers of a jumper and a jacket. 'It's the home of the Queens Historical Society now, but the entry point is around it somewhere.'

They caught a cab to Queens, and Alice was reflective most of the ride; she didn't talk much, only staring out the window. It was warmer in the cab, and pretty splashes of pink were evident high on Alice's cheekbones from the cold outside.

'I never said thank you for coming with me,' she said abruptly, still facing the window.

Kingsley's half-smile was thus wasted on her. 'I don't think you're the one who should be doing the thanking,' he remarked. She had been his fast friend through the millennia, and had treated him with no scorn, no prejudice for his mistakes... All of her Expressions, her faith in him had been unshakeable. And then she had gone and saved him from Hell itself. There was really no reason for her to thank him at all.

Paying the fare, the pair of them found themselves standing on the Homestead's porch.

'Mm, doesn't feel right here,' Alice said, hopping off the veranda and walking around; Kingsley followed her. She walked quickly, purposefully.

'I can't sense anything. Can you?' Kingsley asked. The hotspot would not be noticeable at all to Red Bloods – it was insignificant and useless to them anyway – but for Blue Bloods, and Alice especially, they could feel the energy from the outside through the air in that small spot. Many of their kind had forgotten how to feel the metaphysical, but for Venators such as Kingsley, and for oddballs who happened to be Archangels like Alice, it was part of their life. They lived in a world where things were solid and touchable to the hand, but they could feel the world – and others – pulse around them, as though the very air were a living entity. For Uriel, the ruler of the mental and metaphysical, dreams and thoughts and feelings were just as real and solid as the ground beneath her feet.

Alice didn't reply, but she looked determined, her pretty face hardened into focus. 'I think it's over there.' She ran to the remains of an ancient beech tree, and looked around her as though there was something she could see other than air. 'It's here. It's right here.' She touched the stump of the tree, and then straightened, turning to Kingsley. 'You don't have to come with me,' she said.

'But I am anyway,' Kingsley said simply. They both knew – even if Alice wouldn't ever say so – that his one life had been made a lot easier thanks to her intervention as the Regis in her past lives, as one of the Uncorrupted. She had been the one to suggest he train as a Venator, despite the protests and rage the idea brought from the Conclave. Raphael had defended him in front of the Assembly, argued with the Elders on his behalf. They wouldn't ever use it against him, but Kingsley knew that he owed them his life.

'You can stay here, if you wish,' Alice went on, sounding like the Archangel she was. 'Go back to Mimi; she'll be happy to see you. You don't have to follow me.'

'I want to.' Kingsley shook his head, smiling. 'Even if I didn't, you think I'm stupid enough to take the chance of pissing Dominic off?' He knew that even if he left, caught a cab and whisked Mimi away to ravish her to his heart's desire, there would be hell to pay when Dominic found out. He had been hard to persuade to allow them to leave; he had never been keen on giving the task of protecting Uriel to someone other than himself. Not that she needed protection. But it was something that was in his nature, in his soul, something formed out of his love for her.

Alice laughed, the mask of the ancient breaking away. 'You let me handle him.' She smiled kindly. 'You may go, if you wish.'

'Well, I don't wish.' Kingsley flexed his shoulders. 'Let's go already.'

Alice sighed. 'Very well.' She stilled, feeling for that crack in the wall that they could not see, for the gap that they could slip through, the door they could open... _There. _If anyone had been watching from afar, they would have seen two figures standing there, before they blinked, only to find no one.

* * *

I liked my MimislashKingsley scenes here :) It was so easy to imagine them, wind billowing and howling, and then... I sigh in contemplation. Anyway.

Next one might be up tomorrow - or next weekened... Piled with work at the moment, kiddies, bear with me.

spiffy


	14. Oh Mother, Where Art Thou?

Onward, my faithful, onward!

* * *

Schuyler frowned. She had tried to call Alice lately, and had been reaching her voicemail. She began to wonder where she was, and what she was doing. They'd been in Shanghai for more than nearly two weeks now.

'Sky? What are you doing?' a sleepy voice murmured.

Schuyler twisted around; she was sitting up in the bed, and Jack, up until a moment ago, had been sleeping soundly beside her. 'Just messaging Alice.'

Jack put an arm over her hips, and pushed himself up to see the clock on her bedside. 'At two in the morning?' He sighed, and pulled Schuyler down so she lay half-beneath him, warmed and protected by his body. 'Go to sleep,' he ordered. He kissed her forehead as she nestled in his arms; he had actually overheard Dominic on the phone with Alice the other night, but hadn't told Schuyler else she harass him for answers. The fact that Dominic had made the call late at night, with his bedroom door closed, in a quiet voice that Jack had had to press his ear to the door to hear was enough to say that he wanted it to remain secret. Perhaps he knew Schuyler would be worried too.

'Jack?'

'Hm?'

'Do you miss your parents?'

He pressed his lips into a thin line, sighing. 'I don't know. I guess so.' Did he? He missed home, for sure, but was there anything to really miss about Charles and Trinity? The polite, organised affection, the bland social conversation? Probably not. Jack brought her closer, tucking her head beneath his chin. 'Why?'

'Just asking.' Schuyler glided her fingertips across his arm, down his bicep to the inside of his elbow. His skin was so soft. Alice's had been, too. And her mother's. She pressed her face to his chest and swallowed the tears she knew were coming. Where were they? Where were the both of them?

* * *

_Oh, don't cry, my sweet. Please don't cry._

It was her mother's voice that woke her into her dream that night; it was unlike any other she'd had. Schuyler found herself in a room lit by a fireplace, the floors were polished wood, and another person there was sitting at the bay window, moonlight pooling in around her, making her seem mystical, ethereal.

It was Alice.

But she was dressed in an abundant calf-length nightgown that surely did not belong in this century. Schuyler wondered where she was, when she heard the sound. Alice was crying, softly, oh so softly, as though she wanted to keep her pain to herself.

'Evangeline?' The door to the room opened wide, and a slim figure appeared there.

'Mother?' Schuyler said, knowing it was her. Her face was silhouetted from the light on the other side of the door, but Schuyler knew.

The woman at the door hurried into the room, the light from the outside barely penetrating the dark, and she cradled Alice in her arms – but Alice jerked away, pushing herself against the other side of the window. 'Don't touch me,' she whispered, her tearful eyes glaring accusingly. 'Get out. You're going to leave me anyway.'

'Evangeline...' Allegra's voice was broken, shaky and barely a murmur. 'Please... You must understand – '

'I don't have to understand anything, _sister,_' Alice said, scathing lacing her words. 'Not from you. Not anymore.'

A tear fell from Allegra's eye, and then another, and another. 'Oh, Evangeline, don't be this way...' She touched her sister's hand, but Alice snatched it away as though it had burned her. Allegra's whisper was soft, but insistent. 'Please don't push me away.'

'Why?' questioned Alice, her voice a low whisper, stabbing like a knife. 'Why not? I might as well start – then it would be all right for you to go, wouldn't it? You can board your stupid ship with your stupid husband! Myles has always been the idiot between the two of you! I don't care! Go! Go already!' she cried madly. 'I don't want you here! The Coven may beg you to stay, but I won't! You traitor, you cruel witch! You wretched, foul, evil, stupid – '

Allegra had pulled Alice – Evangeline, Schuyler remembered – into her arms, and Evangeline fought violently against her hold, trying to pull her sister's arms off of her, wriggling and pushing away frantically. Schuyler tried to imagine herself trying to push her mother away when she was holding on so tightly, so desperately... She felt her heart shrink away, cringe. What was going on?

'Evangeline, Evangeline, please!' Allegra sobbed into Alice's shoulder, but her sister still fought. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...'

'Don't be,' Alice said coldly, suddenly stilling. 'It's not as though you care.'

'Don't say that!' Allegra lifted her head and took Alice by the shoulders; Schuyler finally found her feet and came closer. She had never seen her mother so angry. Allegra shook Alice harshly, her gaze suddenly fierce. 'Don't you dare say that!'

For a moment, Alice looked shameful, scolded like a child, before she matched her sister's ferocity. 'I'll do as damn please!' She scowled, shaking her head, her voice full of venom. 'Who are you, telling me what to do? You're no sister of mine, _Rose_. I have no sister!' Alice's voice broke as she said it over and over. 'I have no sister...' Her lips trembled. 'I have no sister...' And then the tears overcame her, and her face fell into her hands, her body shaking with her sobs. She threw herself into Allegra's arms and cried, whimpering softly. 'Don't leave me, don't leave me, please Rose...'

Schuyler understood then. This was the life in which her mother and the others left for the New World – and this was Alice, heartbroken, and begging her sister to stay. And what she saw there, in Alice's face... She knew that feeling. That horrible, heart-tearing agony of abandonment. She wanted to run between them, to comfort them both, but this was only a dream, a mere memory of what had happened... But whose? Was this her mother's memory, from the piece of her mother that was inside her? Or was it Alice's?

'I won't let you leave. I... I will go with you,' Alice said, her small hands clutching at her sister. 'Let me go with you...'

Allegra's expression softened, and she pressed kisses to Alice's hair. 'You mustn't,' she whispered, cradling Alice as if she were a small, frightened child; Schuyler realised that was very much what she was in that moment. 'You must stay here. They need you here.'

'I need you,' Alice sobbed, shaking her head and raising her head at last. 'I need you with me!'

Yes, thought Schuyler, this was familiar. She knew, somewhere in her heart, exactly how Alice, or Evangeline, felt. Allegra was leaving her sister, just the way she left her.

'Do you believe that?' came a voice.

Schuyler spun around, nearly losing her footing, to see Alice sitting in the daybed at the other corner of the room. Gentle, white light shone from her and her flowing robes. 'Alice!' She ran to her, and collapsed against her. 'I – I tried to call you...'

'Unfortunately,' Alice replied ruefully, 'there wasn't any coverage for where I was a while ago. Not even on that ridiculous phone plan of mine.' She laughed softly, before putting a hand beneath Schuyler's chin. 'You have been worried.'

Schuyler nodded, somewhat guiltily. She let Alice wipe her tears from beneath her eyes.

'You're too pretty to cry so much,' Alice said reprovingly. 'Your mother would hate to see you like this.'

Pressing her mouth together, Schuyler looked down at her lap. Her mother had not visited her lately. At all, really, since they had left England. Allegra didn't have any chance of seeing her like this, considering she never bothered to see her at all. Now that she was out of the coma, Schuyler had thought she would see her mother a little more, but so far that had not been the case. 'She won't,' she said quietly, but the moment she said the words, Schuyler sensed another presence there, one so very, very familiar.

'Forgive me,' Allegra whispered.

'Mother!' Schuyler cried, both joyful and disbelieving. Her mother's smile was radiant and beautiful, and Schuyler flung herself into her arms. 'I missed you...'

'And I you, my darling.'

'Well, there's déjà vu for you,' Alice remarked.

Schuyler lifted her head, brows furrowed.

'Oh?' Allegra said, but Alice pointed behind where Schuyler and Allegra had fallen to the floor embracing, where her old self was being cradled the same way by her sister.

Schuyler saw something cross her mother's face, saw that she wanted to say something, but then she only nodded to Alice with a sad smile, and then brought her close again. She snuggled further into her mother's warmth, her smell of sweet roses. 'Where are you?' she asked, the question meant for the both of them.

'Do not worry,' Allegra soothed, her hands combing through Schuyler's hair gently, moving it away from her face. 'We are never far from you. I told you, I am _in _you. Our time will come,' she said, repeating the words she had said from that night at Perryton House. 'But I am always with you.'

'Are you coming to Shanghai?' Schuyler sat up, but still remained in the comfort of her mother's embrace. 'Alice?'

'Perhaps.' Her eyes were downcast. 'If Charles is well enough, I will follow you.'

'Charles?' Schuyler said. 'What happened? Is he okay?' Not that she cared too much. But still.

'He has been weakened,' Allegra said. 'He can only fight for so long. Even our powers are not without limitations.'

The three of them were alerted at the sound of the Evangeline and Rose talking again.

'You cannot leave me,' Evangeline begged. 'Please don't leave. I cannot... I cannot – '

Rose held her sister's face in her hands, brushing her tears away. 'You are strong, my dear Uriel. You can – you _must_ lead them here. Raphael will always be with you.' She kissed her sister's forehead, lingering. 'I will always be with you. You are part of me, Uriel. And I am part of you. You know this.' She wrapped her arms around Evangeline once more.

'I am not whole without you, sister,' whispered Evangeline.

They were quiet again, Rose holding her sister and littering soft kisses across her forehead.

'Can I ask you something?' Schuyler said quietly, looking downward.

'Yes,' Alice responded, 'but it doesn't mean we can answer.' She smiled apologetically, and Allegra laughed softly.

'She may be Uriel the Wise,' Allegra said, a note of teasing in her voice, 'but she doesn't know everything.'

'Knowledge is very different from wisdom, Allegra,' Alice reminded. 'Anyway. Ask as you wish.'

'How...' Schuyler pressed her lips together. 'How are you actually... Sisters? I mean... You don't have a real mother and father, but...' Angels had been created directly in the hands of the Almighty; theoretically, they were all related that way, so what made Gabrielle and Uriel so different? Why were they sisters in such a different way?

Alice smiled. 'Your mother and I... Let me explain this with an example.' She looked around her and waved a hand, and the room around them dissolved, and suddenly they were sitting in a sunlit meadow, a stream gurgling nearby. A row of clay pots, of different shapes and sizes, colours and designs, sat on the grass before them. 'If you think about it this way...' She knelt down and touched a slim, bottle-necked pot. 'If the Almighty were a potter, the angels would be these. All his works, all of the same nature – pottery – and all made of clay, but all very different, yes?'

Schuyler nodded.

'The clay we are made from comes from the banks of one river. We are all made as angels, thus we are made of the same sort of material – or clay, in this instance.' Alice raised a hand, and the pots shifted themselves, sorted themselves into groups. 'But even on the same river, there are different types, different consistencies of clay. This lot,' she said, touching a few clustered together, 'are all made of clay from the same part of the bank. But the clay used to make each of them is different, though they were collected from the same place.' There were similar ones in the group, stout and short, while a couple of them were broader and lighter coloured. 'Which is why they can turn out differently as well as similar.' She waved her hand above them, and a line of pots with different shapes and sizes appeared, though their patterns and designs were very similar. 'Take the Archangels for instance. We were all made from clay from one area of the riverbank. And the Almighty created us, designed us, to be similar in certain ways, to be alike. All made from different balls of clay from a common place.' Alice smiled. 'Your mother and I, however, were made from exactly the same piece of clay.' She brought two pots forward, almost identical in shape and size, colours exactly the same, and even the pattern was the same, but the way the pattern had been placed on each was visibly different. 'You know of the way Red Blood twins are made; either two eggs are formed separately, or one fertilised egg splits to form two embryos.' She half-smiled. 'I don't mean to give you a biology lesson, but that is similar to the way your mother and I were made. One piece of clay, one material, split in half to make two. That is why we are sisters in a way unlike any other of our kind.'

* * *

That was my own reasoning and logic for the 'sister' concept for Alice and Allegra. Do you guys get it? Does it not make sense?

spiffy


	15. You're Grounded!

I have exams that count for about thirty percent of my final grade coming up this week, so I'll upload a double for you just 'cause I'm nice and I won't be able to so much as touch the computer for the next couple of weeks...

Has anyone guessed why Lucifer wants Alice? Or should I say... _Noticed?_

* * *

That morning, Schuyler received a message:

_that's good to hear __the gates are holding so far it seems, but you must continue to warn the keepers of the dangers that are ahead. all is well where i am. your mother says hello, and sends her love. although... she's more annoying than i predicted. don't tell her i said that. she made me clean my room in the suite. __i told her that i was an inherently haphazard person, and that was what room service was for, but i still had to pick up my things all over the floor. oh well. i cannot say when i will meet you, but i will follow once charles has recovered enough. i can remember him, but in this life.. he's so... old. like, grey hair and wrinkly old. but he seems to be doing fine. send dominic my love. and tell him to go easy on the caviar and smoked salmon. it's one of our common vices, unfortunately. he's going to start smelling like fish one of these days, and i refuse to bond with a smelly person, heaven bound or not. kingsley hopes you are well. miss you._

_alice xxx_

Schuyler stared at the screen, re-reading the words over and over again. She couldn't help a laugh as much as a twinge in her chest. Her mother was being the big sister again, it seemed, and Schuyler wondered if she would have been like that if she'd been awake all those years. It depressed her that Allegra could be there for Alice, and not for her. But on the other hand, it was terribly funny to think of the scene; Alice retorting and refusing to pick up after herself, all the while being disciplined, before she at last gave in, grumbling and disgruntled.

Her mother's words echoed again in her mind. _Our time will come._ Schuyler hoped so.

'You look happy,' Dominic remarked as Schuyler came out of her and Jack's room. He was eating – surprise, surprise, caviar-topped eggs with slices of smoked salmon. He had apparently ordered room service, and a small buffet had been laid out.

'Alice says you should hold back on eating that stuff,' she laughed as she sat down. She was surprisingly hungry. She piled her plate with eggs and buttered herself some toast. 'She says she won't bond with someone who smells like fish.'

Dominic raised his eyebrows, but he continued eating. 'You can tell her that I smell perfectly lovely, for your information.' He lifted his arm and sniffed. 'Yes. Lovely. Like a bouquet of fresh-cut lilies.'

Schuyler burst out laughing. 'You can tell her that yourself.'

* * *

Charles Force awoke in an immaculate hotel room in Moscow, not opening his eyes at first, but shifting with a small groan.

'Good morning sunshine,' greeted a voice full of mischief. 'You snore like a beast, as always.'

He slowly opened his eyes, a shaft of light over his eyes from the sun outside, and blinked wearily. 'Allegr – ' Charles cut himself short, blinking at the figure in the armchair in a corner opposite the bed. 'You are...'

'Well, you get points for correcting yourself,' she said, smiling. 'It has been a long time, Charles. My name is Alice in this life. But you...' Alice giggled. 'You've gotten so very old in this Expression.'

'Uriel,' Charles breathed, his soul lifting. It _had_ been her, then, who had appeared in the midst of constant battle. He thought he had been seeing things, weak with exhaustion... But no. 'You are young, so very young...' It had been her all along. 'Alice suits you.' He attempted to sit up, and found his body was much like a dead weight.

Alice rose and put a hand on his shoulder, urging him back to the bed. 'Don't push yourself. Allegra will have my head if she finds I've let you wander about.' But Charles' eyes widened at the sound of that name, and he forced himself up ruthlessly, groaning as he did. Alice pressed her lips together, shaking her head. 'Stubborn as always. Very well. But stay in bed.'

'Where is she?'

'Er...' Alice folded her arms over her chest. 'She's with Kingsley. They're um... Fetching you a – er...' She made a gesture with her fingers and her mouth to indicate a cartoon-like vampire bite. 'I found you a Red Blood when we got back, but you'll need another.' She instinctively jerked away slightly when Charles took her hand from the bed, but relaxed a moment later.

'I have missed you, Little One,' he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a smile. 'The four of us have been parted too long.'

Alice smiled back, but there it was wry and mocking. 'That was partly your fault, Charles. You know that.' It had been Michael to suggest that they spread across the earth the way they did – and a part of the reason that she had been so cruelly separated from her sister. But that was in the past, and it did not do to dwell on it. His pride and stubborn head had cost their kind on earth – his refusal to believe, but Alice brushed the thought away.

'Forgive me.'

'I forgave you once, a long time ago,' Alice said. 'But I forgive you again.'

Charles kept looking toward the door. 'Where is Raphael?' he asked, expecting him to emerge from somewhere. It took more than Heaven and earth to separate those two, he thought with a smile.

Alice's expression turned sad. 'He is not here.' She met his eyes. 'He is with Allegra's daughter.'

Charles looked surprised, but not angry. He looked as though someone had just told him his face was the colour of the rainbow; disbelieving, but amused. 'Oh?' He raised a brow. 'And what, pray tell, convinced him to be parted from you? And why is he with her?'

'She is fulfilling Lawrence's legacy, Charles. The one you refuse to acknowledge.' Her knee hit the side of the bed as she shifted. 'And I am here because you and my sister needed me.'

'I do not deny that,' Charles said gruffly. 'But the Van Alen Legacy – '

'Is something you should pay close attention to.' Alice's voice hardened. 'The threat is real, Michael. It is here, and will worsen if you continue to walk with your pride on your shoulders instead of your head.'

Charles' eyes were hooded, and he was frowning, finally listening to someone other than himself. He could not discount Uriel's vouch for it; it was always ill-advised to ignore the words of Heaven's wisest spirit.

'I have seen it, Charles.' Alice shook her head. 'Lucifer is attempting to break free – and there are forces on this earth that are helping him. Asmodeus and others are leading his minions here.'

'Asmodeus?' Charles sounded alarmed. 'But it cannot be...'

'I visited the Gate of Promise...' She told him what had happened in Florence, when the door to the hotel suite opened and Kingsley came in, leading a wide-eyed hotel maid.

'I won't hurt you,' he purred. 'Come this way. That's it...'

He turned, and directed her toward Charles. 'All yours.'

The maid approached, the look in her eyes as glazed as toffee apples.

* * *

'How are you feeling?' Allegra asked, when they had sent the maid away, and Kingsley and Alice were exploring the city. She had a hand on Charles' chest, and she could feel his heartbeat, strong and sure, beneath her fingers. She did not need to feel her pulse to know that hers beat in perfect time.

'Better, now you have returned to me,' he said, taking her hand and kissing it reverently. 'My love.'

Allegra smiled, and cupped his face with her hand. 'We must talk, but have no time to waste, Charles. Has Alice told you what happened?'

Charles nodded. 'The Morningstar sent Asmodeus after her in the glom.' His face was grave. 'Yet she knows not why?'

Sighing, Allegra looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows, shaking her head. 'Her memories will return. We may trigger them, but we will need to speak to her in the glom.'

'Yes,' Charles murmured, 'her presence cannot be hidden forever, but it cannot spread that she is the Holy Guardian, that she is the keeper of the Gates of Heaven. She is the only one who can open them to us. The knowledge will cause uproar, and Conclaves the world over will demand she let them return to the Almighty...'

'Though she will not,' Allegra said. 'No matter how they plead. The power is in her hands, but the decision is not hers to make. When the time comes for us to return to our exalted state, then she will be the one to open the gates to us once more...'

'But if the Morningstar gets hold of her... We are lost.' Charles' eyes darkened. 'If Lucifer gets hold of her...'

'Our way to Heaven will be gone forever.' Allegra's expression was as severe. 'If we do not secure the Paths of the Dead, and Lucifer manages to take Uriel, the path to Paradise will be his.'

Charles' next words were solemn and low. 'And he will unleash his evil upon Heaven and earth itself.'

* * *

'Where were you last night?' It was near ten am; Allegra was sitting at the small glass dining table, and Alice and Kingsley had only just stumbled in.

The question was more curiosity than accusation, but Alice felt scrutinised. Here was the only one she had ever answered to, the closest one to true authority beside the Almighty. 'Er – treasure hunting?' She didn't know if she was being funny, or being stupid because she didn't know what else to say. She had originally gone out last night to meet a familiar – a Russian oil heir who she had met on the Eurotrash circuit last year – but Kingsley had insisted he felt cooped up in the suite all alone with Allegra and Charles, so he had come with her, and they had ended up ruling the night at various clubs.

'I don't think you learned how to party from _her_,' Kingsley whispered in her ear, referring to Allegra's stern expression.

Alice nudged him hard with her elbow, and he stalked into the other bedroom of the suite. She ran her fingers through her hair; it was probably a mess, and she probably looked like shit. A wonderful impression on her favourite big sister. 'We just went out for some drinks. God.' She had fallen so easily into the routine between them that had been absent for the last few hundred years. Alice crashed down onto the sofa. 'Keep your knickers on, we weren't being frisky.'

'You are sometimes very impulsive, Alice.' Allegra sounded amused now. 'And also very irreverent.' She rose to stand above Alice, who was lying down on the sofa, so that her face looked upside down. 'I have missed you,' she told her, smiling.

Alice stuck her tongue out, before she moved to let Allegra sit beside her. 'How is Charles?'

'Getting better by the hour,' Allegra said.

'Good.' Alice looked at her sister, her beloved Gabrielle, almost her mirror-image (give or take a few years more) and her soul's other companion.

_Uriel,_ Allegra called from the glom. _I have missed you so._

When Alice felt Allegra's mind reach for hers, she felt whole, complete, as though a part of her had been returned. As though her broken soul was one piece again. _Sister, _Alice sent. _We are united at last. I am complete._

_As am I. _Allegra opened her arms, and Alice went to them willingly. _My sweet Uriel. You have grown impish and more mischievous without me._ Allegra smiled.

_Forgive me_, Alice implored. That was how hers and Allegra's souls were; they were more than linked together, more than connected. They had been created from the very same love and Light; the same piece of clay. Their souls were incomplete, unfinished without each other. The other bond of their kind – the one between twins – meant that here on earth, they would feel different without their love. But in Heaven, on earth, and in all the universe, Uriel and Gabrielle's souls were intertwined unlike any other. Their separation was not only felt deep in their souls, but physically as well. Their mental state was different without each other. And all this, Alice realised. Realised that odd, strange feeling that despite having her twin Raphael with her almost every moment of the day, she was still somehow... Broken. As though she had been split into pieces, and one was still missing. She had ignored it over the years, but as the feeling of completion, of utter wholeness filled her, Alice understood. Gabrielle was as much a part of her as her heart and soul, and the same went the other way. Vampire twins were said to be two sides of a coin – Uriel and Gabrielle were like two _fragments_ of it.

_Do you remember? _With that, Allegra's very soul reached out to Alice's – and her younger sister's memories were at last complete.

Like she had taken the very first breath of air in her entire life, Alice exhaled it. _Yes. Everything._ She was the one who held the power to open the Gates of Heaven. The one who would allow them Paradise – but only if and when the Almighty allowed her. It was in her power to open them as she wished – she could return now, if she wanted to, and remain in Paradise – but then her kind's hope for the exalted state might never be realised. There would be other ways, perhaps, of re-entering Heaven, but... Those ideas were too painful to think about; her leaving them might mean thousands upon thousands upon thousands of years trying to win the Almighty's favour. She was the last one of their kind who could pass freely from Heaven to earth and back again. But to leave them behind, to abandon them... No. She would not. And if she were to return to the love and warmth of the Almighty, she would be away from Raphael who would be shattered in his heart, and she herself would again be broken, fragmented, for her sister Gabrielle would remain on earth with the Fallen. _This is why the Morningstar wants me._

_Yes. And so you are as important to the Van Alen Legacy as my daughter._ Allegra smoothed her sister's hair – the same as her own, the same colour, lustre, shine and feel. _Oh, my sister... It has been so very different without you._

Alice nestled happily against Allegra. Her sister. Her eternal, immortal and heavenly sister, the missing piece of her soul...

_Alice._

_Yes?_

_You should not stay out so late. Don't you have a curfew?_

Alice sat up. Unbelievable. Centuries apart, and all Allegra wanted to do now was chide her for being a teenager. Un-be-_lievable_. 'I'm going to bed.' It was morning, but if she was going to get a high and mighty lecture from her elder sister... Alice stood up and moved away, but not before Allegra crossed one leg over the other, put an arm over the back of the sofa and closed her eyes with a smile.

_Come back here, my darling. I am not yet finished with you._

Alice swore.

* * *

Schuyler took her umpteenth pork dumpling and finished it greedily in three quick bites; it was scalding hot, hot enough to burn, but as a vampire, Schuyler enjoyed the benefit of devouring it while fresh from the pan. It was nearly three weeks since they had arrived in Shanghai, and Rupert had found them a small local restaurant, telling them that the upmarket restaurants on the Bund were pretty standard as Michelin fare. If they wanted Chinese food, he'd said, they should head to the right place. And so they sat, in a famous local restaurant in the Jing'an District, surrounded by not the most elegant, or the wealthiest company, but the food was famous for a reason, and that was good enough for Schuyler, who clapped gleefully when Dominic ordered another plate. There had been, she learned, a technique in eating the piping hot dumplings of her joy; because of the blistering hot broth that oozed out delectably from the filling, one needed to take a small nibble out of the pleasantly gummy, crispy outside, suck the broth out, and then slowly eat the rest. But Schuyler ignored it and took straight bites; she, Jack and Dominic were all doing the same, and so the locals began to wonder if the strange tourists had iron tongues.

Rupert, however, was inclined to follow the local technique.

'Whoa, easy there love, you'll fill your stomach faster than the rest of the restaurant,' Dominic said playfully when he watched Schuyler happily dig in to the next serve.

She munched, feeling rather content, and swallowed, when she let out a small, though very audible burp; she went red, but the three boys only laughed. 'Excuse me,' she squeaked, her face hot.

Jack grinned, and snapped his chopsticks at her. 'Hungry tonight, are we?'

Schuyler nodded as he poured her a cup of jasmine tea.

Dominic was about to take a dumpling between his own chopsticks when he jumped; his phone was ringing. He stood up and fished in his pocket for his phone. 'Hello?' he said, politely excusing himself as he weaved through the narrow spaces in between the tables.

Schuyler could just see him through the window; hand in his pocket, laughing with whoever was on the phone. Alice, maybe? He came in a few minutes later, and pulled on his leather jacket. 'We have to go.' He waved over a harassed waitress. 'Take away?' he said loudly, pointing to the dumplings left. He eyed Schuyler. 'And four extra!'

'What's up?' Jack asked as they left the restaurant and walked to where their limo and driver from the hotel was waiting.

'What's going on Dominic?' Rupert waved at their driver.

'Alice is at the airport,' Dominic told them.

Schuyler, carrying her boxes of take away dumplings, felt a skip in her step. 'Now?'

Dominic nodded, letting her in the car first. 'Come on, I'll give you details in the car.' He slid in last, and the driver shut the door behind him. 'They've just landed.'

'Kingsley and Alice?' Rupert guessed.

Dominic nodded.

'Is my mother with them?' Schuyler asked. The message from Alice had indicated that Allegra and Charles were with her; how would Charles react to Jack being with her and not in New York with Mimi?

'She didn't say.'

* * *

I actually left a huge hint in the an earlier chapter as to why Uriel was so important to Lucifer... Technically speaking, it was written there already, right when I introduced her into the story. Take a look at Boarding School and see if you can find it ;)

Aaaanyway. REVIEW! Were you lamely surprised when you found out, or did I achieve my goal of an ?

spiffy


	16. What Sayest Thou?

Rawr!

* * *

The first thing Alice did when she saw them at the terminal was jump into Dominic's arms, winding her legs around his middle; he was holding her easily but the force of her leap sent him backward several steps.

Schuyler saw them kissing and whispering, and tried to not listen to their private conversation; although she could hear it above the noise of the airport, she thought it might have been a little... Rude. She turned back to the terminal and saw Kingsley, grinning with a bag slung over his shoulder. There was no one behind him. Schuyler's heart sank, when suddenly both Charles and Allegra appeared from around the corner. She couldn't help herself; she ran past Kingsley and into her mother's arms.

'Schuyler,' she said, stopping in her tracks with a soft laugh. Allegra kissed the top of her head. 'Come, we have time later.' She led her daughter back to where the others were waiting.

'Jack?' Charles frowned as he saw his son standing by Dominic and Alice. 'What on earth are you doing here?'

At first, Jack cringed inwardly, knowing how his father would react when he found out, but then over his shoulder he saw Schuyler, beaming and happy alongside Allegra, and wasn't aware of the warm smile that curved his lips.

Charles turned, and when the truth came to him, he spun on his son furiously. 'You – you and _her_!' he barked, a finger pointed at Jack like a death sentence. 'You have forsaken – '

'Charles,' Allegra's voice came, touching his arm, 'please.' She stared into his eyes, pleading for his understanding.

The older man trembled ever so slightly; there was nothing he would – could – deny her. Not now. Charles shut his eyes, and said in a strained, low voice to Jack, 'We shall discuss this matter later, Abbadon.' And then he stalked off towards the limousine.

Rupert was counting their number; they would fit in the stretch, but perhaps not as comfortably as most of them were accustomed. He walked away and dialled the hotel.

Schuyler's hand around her mother's was stiff with tension, with fear. What would Charles do? She looked to her mother, her anxiety and uneasiness crossing her pretty features. 'Mother?' she said, afraid of what might happen. Charles hadn't subjected her mother to the punishment of breaking her bond, but would he be so merciful to her? He appeared to tolerate her at best. Why would he, should he, understand anything that was between her and Jack?

'It will be all right,' Allegra said, her words sure and steady. 'Do not worry, darling.' She squeezed Schuyler's hand reassuringly.

'Jack?' Schuyler whispered. His back was to her, watching his father walk away, but at the sound of her fearful voice, he turned. Schuyler's worry was comforted by the gentle smile he gave her.

'It's going to be okay, Sky,' he said, his green eyes as radiant as ever. As determined as ever.

'Charles may be bullheaded,' Alice remarked pointedly, 'but his heart isn't made of stone or ice.' From the warmth of Dominic's arms, she smiled that glorious, shining smile that Schuyler thought made her look somehow even more beautiful. 'I won't let anything happen to you.' Her blue eyes honed in on Jack. 'Or to you, if only for her sake.' She sounded droll, but she winked light-heartedly at him. 'You're not the only one to have forsaken your bond.' Alice motioned to Kingsley, who was standing about idly, as though he had nothing better to do, but would have much preferred to be elsewhere.

'Hm?' he said, raising an eyebrow, noticing their attention. 'Somebody say something?'

Jack couldn't help but smile. He was thoroughly reminded of Mimi.

'Well,' Dominic said, shrugging and looking over his shoulder to the cars. 'The inevitable awaits. Let's get back to the hotel.'

* * *

Schuyler rode with her mother, Charles and Alice; Jack was in the other limousine with Rupert, Dominic and Kingsley. Despite being calmed by Allegra's arm around her, she noticed Charles had been stiff the entire ride. He cast yearning glances at her mother, who, much to Schuyler's unassuming delight, was presently preoccupied with her instead. She and Allegra were seated in the front-facing bench, while Alice sat opposite Charles on the side seating. Her mother was holding her tenderly, now and then brushing hair out of Schuyler's face.

Alice, on the other hand, looked a tad bored; she was reclined on the seat now, her legs crossed, her iPhone raised above her head as she apparently messaged a certain someone in the other limo.

At last, Charles broke the silence. 'Would you cease your fiddling with that contraption!' he spat, all his frustration gathering into a clump and hurling itself at Alice.

But Alice didn't cease it at all, only saying, 'You _have_ gotten old, Charles. Old, cranky and irritable.'

Schuyler bit her tongue to stop a giggle from escaping.

Charles seemed to know that any further retorts against the young girl were useless; she would only throw something equally, if not more, sharp and clever his way. She had not changed – unlike some. He turned to Allegra, holding her daughter.

Alice saw his hands twitch, saw him fidget endlessly with the need to be close to her sister. As a sixteen year old girl, it sort of freaked her out. But as Uriel, she was both understanding and amused. Michael's love was unquenchable, much like Raphael's. Alice smiled to herself; there was just something about her and Gabrielle, it seemed. 'You'll get your turn,' she said quietly, but loud enough for Charles to snap around and stare at her. 'You've waited sixteen years,' she added. 'You can wait a little longer.' He'd waited those years – but so had Schuyler. And she did not have the benefit of past lives with Allegra. Actually, Alice wanted to just sit beside her sister right now, not necessarily for a kiss and cuddle, like Schuyler was evidently enjoying, but to just... Sit there. Even facing the opposite direction, curled up beside her. But, Alice thought, she had spent millennia – more, even – with her sister, in Paradise and on earth. In comparison, Schuyler, who had grown up virtually an orphan, had spent a few short hours with her. The need for a mother far overrode the need of a sister this time. Patience was not Uriel's greatest virtue, but Alice would make it so for now.

'I – hmph.' Charles snapped his mouth shut, unable to stem the smile that shifted across his features. She was right, as always. If not infuriatingly so.

* * *

'I'll just – er...' Rupert had entered the suite, now full of the world's most powerful Blue Bloods, and was slowly backing out again. He knew his place as Conduit; the matters to be discussed were not for his ears, nor any of his business. 'I'll leave you all to it, then. I'll go um... I need to... Air my trousers.' And with that, he quickened his pace and darted out of the Imperial Suite.

Charles Force was seated rigidly in the comfiest armchair in the suite. Allegra was still holding on to her daughter. He put one hand to his temples, closing his eyes. 'So,' he said, in a deep, commanding tone. 'Where shall we begin?' Charles opened his eyes again and looked to Jack, who was sitting at the far end of the adjacent sofa, and then to Schuyler, gripping her mother's hand tight. And then he looked to Kingsley, sitting at the opposite armchair, his feet on the coffee table carelessly. The Four had been united, but now there was _this_ to deal with – a broken bond and two new ones that would not be separated so easily.

'Well,' Alice said, leaning on the wall, arms folded, 'the broken bond is currently... Mutual, I'd say.'

'Is that so?' Charles' question was mocking, and they did not need vampire hearing to know it. He looked between Jack and Schuyler, who both stared back defiantly, and then to Kingsley. 'And what gives _him_ the right to speak for my daughter? Can anyone else bear witness to Mimi's... Compliance?' He avoided saying happiness; how any of them were happy without their twins was beyond him.

'I can.' Alice was looking very amused. 'Indeed, if my um... _Findings_, are correct, then Mimi was prepared to forsake her bond quite readily as Jack.' She hadn't been able to help herself; so she had helped herself into Mimi's head and heart, and what she had found was altogether unsurprising.

'Findings?' Jack asked. 'What do you mean?'

'I have seen what is in your sister's heart,' Alice said, coming forward and sitting on the armrest of Kingsley's chair. 'And what she holds in her soul.'

'What will you do, Charles?' It was Allegra who spoke now, her bright green eyes blazing into Charles'. He was not Regis officially, but it went without saying that the bond-breaking was answerable to him. Charles would take his place as Regis once more, soon enough.

Charles turned his head to Dominic, one hand on the panoramic window. 'What say you, Dominic?'

A slow, wistful breath escaped him. 'No disrespect is meant, Charles, but perhaps we ought to focus our efforts to the matter at hand.' Dominic turned, his back leaning onto the glass. 'The Gates.' His memories of Alice's role as a particular keeper had come rushing back when she had showed him at the airport.

'The Gates will be dealt with,' Charles growled. '_This_ is the matter at hand.'

'Oh, very well, you mulish oaf,' Alice snapped impatiently. 'What say _you_? The bond has been broke mutually – the Code may have been violated, but I don't even need to remind you that it has been broken before with no consequence...' She pierced the older man with her vivid gaze. 'And even if your judgement is against them, I will contest it. We all will.' Everyone in the room knew who she meant when she said 'we'. She turned to her sister, who smiled, and to Dominic who winked. 'Cantankerous though you are, this – '

'Enough!' Charles roared, coming to his feet, his chest heaving. He glared coldly at Alice. 'You need not say more.'

Alice's lips curved in a smirk, before she rose and stood against him, looking up at his face boldly. 'Better safe than sorry,' was all she said.

Jack was astounded. He did not ever remember anyone standing up to Charles this way. But Alice, with her graceful, smaller figure and delicately perfect features, seemed to somehow now match his father's proud bearing.

Charles then looked to Allegra, hoping that somehow he would be guided. She stared at him, her expression giving nothing away. 'I...' His gaze fell to Schuyler, the half-blood. The Pistis Sophia had never been wrong – and neither had Alice. Why would they be now? 'I can pass no judgement against them,' he said lowly. 'For now, they may remain as they are. Perhaps when the other... Matters facing us have been dealt with, then I shall consider it again.'

Alice, for one, began slowly applauding. 'Well done. A level-headed decision at last.' She let out a breath of air, as though impressed. 'Can't tell you how many millennia I've been waiting for one of those.'

Schuyler saw Charles' face, and thought that even Alice might have gone too far, put one too many toes across the line. He looked as though he wanted to throttle her. Alice, however, remained unfazed and had her chin held high, blinking at him haughtily. Like she was waiting for him to say something remarkable.

And then Charles spoke. 'Your mischief has worsened without your sister.'

'So I have been told.'

Charles put a hand on her head, shaking his own. He let loose a bark of laughter. 'You have been gone too long, Alice.'

Schuyler's breath of relief left her so quickly; for one moment, she had actually feared that Charles would strike Alice, slap her across the face for her apparent irreverence. But no, Gabrielle's younger sister only received a pat on the head and a laugh.

Baby of the Seven indeed.

* * *

The sleeping arrangements had been somewhat complicated at first, but had resulted in Rupert and Kingsley taking separate Grand Luxe Suites for themselves, and while Alice and Dominic had offered to move to the Beijing Suite downstairs, an unyielding look from Allegra said very well that she did not appreciate her sister – still sixteen in this Expression, regardless of all of Alice's protests – sharing a room alone with Dominic, epitome of respectability though he might have been. Charles only seemed to agree with her sentiments.

And so, Schuyler and Jack had offered them their bedroom in the Imperial Suite, and there had been arguments and insisting, until it had been agreed on that an extra bed would be ordered for Jack to be placed in the sitting room, while Alice and Dominic were required to sleep separately; Dominic was presently snoozing on an ordered bed inside their bedroom, having given Alice the king-sized bed. Alice, however, crept out of her bed and into Dominic's anyway.

Charles and Allegra were quite a different story, thanks to Schuyler. Charles promptly booked the Shanghai Suite; Schuyler, quite happily, was sharing a bed with her mother, and could not care less if it bothered Charles. She wanted to sleep, lying there, but was too filled with a joy she had been waiting for all her life. A privilege granted to the most ordinary of people, and never been allowed to her; her mother held her as she tried to sleep. Of course, she couldn't.

* * *

If I had been Charles, I think I could have slapped her :P Juuuuust kidding!

So the next couple of chapters mightn't be out for another few weeks... Longer, if no one speaks up... I would actually like feedback on these last couple of chapters. They were pretty substantial. Well, they weren't filler chapters, anyway.

spiffy


	17. A Child Not Mine

Hurrah, the worst of my exams are over! :)

* * *

'You aren't going to sleep, are you?' she said, looking down at the top of Schuyler's head.

Schuyler wriggled closer and shook her head. In her hospital bed, Allegra had been cold; her skin pallid and waxy, chilled to the touch. But here, now, she was soft and snug, warm and yielding. Schuyler's eyes were wide open, though she felt like she could lay there with her mother forever.

'Ah, well.' Allegra smiled. 'We shall try to remedy that.' Her slender, supple fingers slid into Schuyler's hair, and with gentle movements, began to massage.

Her mother's touch was soothing, and Schuyler sighed softly. Perhaps Allegra might have done this more often; lulling her to sleep with sleepy kisses and hugs, before slipping her fingers through her hair and rubbing comfortingly. Her mother... Another thought slinked into Schuyler's peaceful thoughts; Allegra was not only her mother.

She was Bliss' too.

Allegra seemed to sense the disquiet brewing, and her fingers stilled as she looked down at Schuyler. 'Darling?'

Schuyler slowly sat up, folding her legs, and her mother leant against the pillows. 'I have a sister,' she said simply.

Allegra's answer was on a sigh. 'Yes.'

'Bliss.' Schuyler blinked at her mother, seeing her perfectly in the lone moonlight. 'Bliss is my sister.' And then it occurred to her – what had happened? She had been so caught up in leaving, in finding the Gates, and then finding Alice, and then the joy of having her mother – but what had happened to Bliss? Was she... Was she...

'She is safe,' Allegra said. 'Mortal now, but safe.'

Schuyler frowned. '_Mortal_' What did that mean? How could she be…

Allegra's half-smile was sad. 'She is no longer a Blue Blood.'

'But – but why?' How did someone _un_become a vampire? Was that even possible? 'How?'

Allegra told her of Bliss' father, of how it had been her imbued with Lucifer's soul inside her own, how she had been the Silver Blood all along – and how she had managed to sacrifice herself for Schuyler, but instead vanquishing Lucifer's connection and rendering herself thus mortal.

'Bliss...' Schuyler whispered her name, and shook her head. Poor Bliss. She suddenly felt a tiny stab of guilt – one she thought that was thoroughly undeserved. Here she was, cuddling up to their mother, while Bliss was... Where? 'What happened to her then? Where is she?'

'On a mission of her own,' Allegra told her. 'But she may still be in New York. I have visited her too.'

Schuyler wanted to push away the guilt, to hurl it as far away as she could. Why shouldn't she be able to be with her mother? It wasn't as if Bliss had grown up without parents full stop. She'd had BobiAnne and Forsyth – however inadequate they proved to be, Bliss had had them. She had no one. Not a single warm or affectionate family presence. It had been cold Cordelia and an even colder hospital room for Schuyler. Nothing more. Schuyler shut her eyes and nestled against her mother, her small frame pressed against Allegra's. She was sorry that Bliss couldn't be here, couldn't be with their mother, but... She didn't want to feel guilty. Refused to be.

Most would have not heard the soft sound that came from the door; a Red Blood wouldn't have detected it, and a vampire's senses grew dull with complacency. But both Schuyler and Allegra heard it, and in less than a blink of an eye, realised Alice had slipped into the room and placed herself cross-legged at the foot of the bed.

'You two look comfortable,' she said.

Schuyler didn't need to look up to know Allegra had smiled.

'Very much so.' Allegra patted the empty space beside her, and while Alice didn't lay down like Schuyler, she crawled over and sat in the space so that she faced them both.

Alice sighed deeply, apparently examining her perfect cuticles when she said, 'What happens now?' She lifted her gaze and met Allegra's. 'Where will you go?' The Van Alen Legacy needed to be fulfilled, sure, but Alice had a feeling that wasn't what was on the present menu; at least not for a little while. Schuyler had dealt with two gates, while the third in New York had apparently been destroyed – she was quite sure that Schuyler was much farther ahead of schedule than she had anticipated. Plus, the gate in Corcovado was now useless. And there was unfinished business to deal with as it was: the Uncorrupted had well and truly returned, all of them, together again. Their kind all around the world would rejoice.

'I think,' Allegra said slowly, looking down at Schuyler with a smile, 'we must return to New York.' She felt Schuyler's arms around her tighten. 'The Conclave needs Charles and I – and you, my sweet,' she added to Alice, holding her chin gently between forefinger and thumb. 'They need you too. You will come back with us. It is in New York that our presence will heal the most.' Allegra sighed softly. 'There are things we must fix.'

'We?' Alice raised a brow before sharing a look with Schuyler. 'What do you mean by 'we'?' She made apostrophes with her fingers.

'The Blue Bloods in New York are still in shock. Confused to say the least. Our return will be of great comfort to them.' Allegra smiled mischievously, pressing her lips to her daughter's head. 'And I will not allow this persecution of Jack and Schuyler to go on any longer. I will not allow them to be separated from those dear to them for their love.' _I will not let them make my mistakes._

_You ran,_ Alice sent. _You ran away with Stephen._

_I will not have my own daughter to be exiled for her heart. I won't allow her to be condemned for her love for Abbadon._

_I see. What will you do? Charles will be named Regis again – will he allow it?_

_He must. If you are right – though you have never been wrong – then neither Azrael or Abbadon will renew their bond. Charles cannot make them, cannot force them. The twins will be together again in New York, but not as in other lives. Their hearts do not belong to each other anymore._

_Did they ever?_ Alice raised a brow. _Abbadon's love for you... It seems destiny was kind in giving him someone he could love like you – someone who could love him the way he loved you. It is most certainly more than fate that he was drawn to Schuyler... _

_I could never love Abbadon the way he deserved. And so when the Almighty granted me this one... _Allegra kissed Schuyler's hair and she closed her eyes. _She holds the hope of our kind. And she is the only thing I have left of Stephen._

_Is that all she is to you? Our saviour and your little trinket of that romance of yours?_

Allegra's face was severe. _You know that is not true._

_Perhaps not, but you have wounded her deeply, Gabrielle. To be without you, to not know a mother's love... Your decision was reckless, impulsive. You have made a hole in her heart that not even your presence now might fill. I have seen her pain, sister, I have felt it. And I wish that in all the world that no child should ever feel that. But you, Gabrielle... You lay in that bed, unwilling to break your vow for your own daughter. It is unfair, I believe, that I was granted so much with you, and her so little._ Alice reached over and tucked Schuyler's hair behind her ear, smiling at her having fallen asleep.

_If I could ever take so much as a moment of her pain away, Uriel, I would. You know that. Why do you rehash the past this way? Have you a bone to pick with me as well?_

Alice felt shame begin to brew inside her. _No. No, I didn't mean to... _Her head bowed and she fidgeted in guilt. _I only meant you to understand her suffering. I know the pain of being separated from you as a sister, but for her to have you so close, but to never have you hold her, or... _Alice touched Schuyler's arm slung across her mother's middle. _She has become very dear to me._

Allegra spread her hand across Schuyler's back lovingly. _I am glad she has had you. I seem to have wronged both my daughters in not being there for them, but... _A crystal drop fell from her eye, and she pressed her cheek against Schuyler's head. _Tell me, sister. Tell me what to do. _

The younger took her sister's hand and lay down, looking up at the white ceiling as her head nestled on Allegra's shoulder. Alice smiled softly. _I don't know everything, Gabrielle. Remember?_ She sighed as Allegra's hand brushed her hair away from her forehead. _But I think she just may have forgiven you._ Alice turned her head to see Schuyler stir a little, and then snuggle closer, the sweetest of smiles touching her features.

* * *

That morning, Charles was nowhere to be found in the suite. For a moment, Schuyler was anxious that she and Jack had perhaps pushed the envelope too far – but her mother told her otherwise.

'Let him be,' she said as they packed, 'he only needs time.'

Schuyler nodded, and then heard the suite door open.

'Your flight is at nine,' Rupert announced from the sitting room.

'And yours?' Dominic asked, emerging from his room.

'I'll take a commercial flight.' Rupert smiled. 'I'll follow you out to the Big Apple in a couple of hours.'

Dominic opened his mouth, and then promptly shut it. He sighed. Perhaps giving Charles some breathing space would do them well. Agitating him further was certainly not going to get them anywhere, and Charles' dislike of Conduits as a whole was eminent to both them and Rupert. 'I'll fly with you,' he offered.

Rupert shook his head and laughed. 'Don't even try it, Stoneleigh. It's a long flight.' He looked sly. 'I'm not going to sit with you if you're going to brood about not having Alice with you the whole time.'

'Point taken,' Dominic agreed, looking over his shoulder up the stairs to the second floor of the suite, to the bedroom Alice had slipped into in the middle of the night, out of his arms and into her sister's. He had encouraged her to go; Dominic knew that if she could help it, Alice would never want to be away from Allegra again. She never wanted to be away from him either, but Dominic put himself aside – as he always did, with a smile – and let her go for the night. But Rupert, as usual, was right. He would miss Alice from the confines of his roomy, comfy seat in first class. It was one thing to sleep in different rooms, but she had been away for what seemed so much longer than he seemed to be able to bear... He nodded. 'I'll stick with the G5 then, shall I?'

* * *

Alice found Charles in the St Regis Executive Lounge; an area accessible only to the most esteemed guests and those in a suite. Charles Force was both.

'Where've you been all morning?' she said, hopping into the armchair across the coffee table. A newspaper was up, hiding his face. Alice pulled it down slowly. 'Charles.' It didn't matter that he seemed to be a dinosaur in this Expression and that she was only a teenager; they were equal on the front that counted.

Charles cleared his throat gruffly, folding the paper and drinking his coffee. 'Thinking.'

'Wow, that's new for you. Been doing much of that lately?'

'Your sarcasm has not diminished over the years.'

'The same goes for your pigheadedness.' Alice took a slice of watermelon from Charles' fruit salad with her fingers. 'Come on, Charlie. Talk to me.' She reached over for another. 'I can call you Charlie, right?'

'No.'

'Too bad. Charlie.'

Charles shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. 'You are still very difficult.'

'As are you.' Alice pulled the bowl of fruit toward her. 'Does Allegra's daughter bother you that much? Does she remind you of the Red Blood?' She tilted her head when Charles made no reply. 'Or... Does she remind you of Allegra?' Schuyler shared an uncanny resemblance to Allegra – uncanny enough to make Charles do a double take. 'She does, doesn't she?' Alice shook her head slowly, smiling. 'No... I know what it is... Oh, yes. You wish she was yours.'

A muscle in Charles' jaw twitched. 'I wish nothing of the sort.'

'Oh, yes you do,' Alice said triumphantly, nodding. 'Every time you see her, you imagine she had been your daughter with Allegra – and not the Red Blood's.'

'Be quiet. Stop talking nonsense.'

'Charlie, I have been known to talk excessively, but not a word out of my mouth has ever been nonsense. You cannot deny it.' Alice grinned.

Charles chided, 'You are too irreverent. You make light of serious matters.'

'No, Charles.' Alice's smile faded, but she still looked entertained. 'You are too serious about everything. What happened to you?' she said, frowning suddenly. 'You were not so... Cold, not in all the time I have known you. What changed?'

'Your sister.'

'She did not change,' Alice said defensively. 'The world did. The world around us changes so rapidly Charles, and each time our kind struggles to keep up. We have become irrelevant in this world. The Four Hundred have grown fat with complacency, weak with no practise, slow and blind with ignorance.' She pierced him then, with the shock of her dark blue eyes. 'That is not Allegra's mistake.'

Charles was still, frozen. 'Why do you tell me this?' he murmured. 'I have made my mistakes. They are done, finished. What more would you have me do?'

'Repair the damage, gather what is left and build your Coven up again.' Alice smiled ruefully. 'It is all we _can_ do, Charles. My purpose in speaking to you is to bring you back to the present – not to dwell on the past. As you say, what's done is done. Bonds have been broken, the Code violated – but Charles, do you remember how the Code was written? What state of mind we were in?' Alice laughed weakly. They had been dazed, in shock, desperate for the light of the Almighty, awoken upon the earth with the all-encompassing need to _feed_. 'We thought our Code could last forever, for as long as we were doomed to walk the earth this way and that it would bring us salvation, but... We did not predict the changes in the world. We could not; that is no one's fault.'

'What are you saying? That the Code is wrong? That our way of life is wrong?'

'I have not said anything is wrong,' Alice said sternly. 'Only that some things are beyond our control. And they may be bad, admittedly. They may prove detrimental to our cause. But... Sometimes... Sometimes, they are good. They can bring us happiness – the only kind of happiness we can have without the Almighty.' Her eyes were kind, tender and warm. 'Here, in these lives of ours, what brings us the most joy, the greatest happiness is love amongst our kind – and even amongst the Red Bloods.' She smiled wryly. 'It is not in love's nature to be exclusive, Charles. Love transcends all; the Almighty's love is what we yearn for, but here, it is all we can do to love those around us. The Code was meant to bring us to our exulted state. But I have my doubts.' Alice stood. 'Will you condemn those who do the one thing that may truly return us to the Almighty?'

'What?' Charles whispered. 'What is it that they do?'

Alice smiled, golden sunlight framing her like the halo she once had. 'They love, Charles. It matters not who. They only love.'

* * *

Aboard Charles' G5, Jack sat beside Schuyler, holding her hand firmly in his. He had missed her last night; before Charles and Allegra had appeared, they'd been able to sleep together. Jack felt her absence deeply; he had grown so accustomed to having her warmth, her soft limbs, around him. But he was glad for Schuyler; she clung to her mother quite readily. Jack kissed her hand – she smiled softly – and then saw Charles on the other end of the jet, watching. Jack met his eyes and looked back unwaveringly.

'Why so sleepy?' Dominic chuckled as Alice's head fell to his shoulder and her eyes fluttered closed. He looked over at Allegra, and knew that they had spent the better part of last night wide awake. Not that it really mattered; Alice could go for days without sleep, but perhaps she felt particularly exhausted from wherever she had been for the past few weeks. Allegra smiled gently, before standing from her seat and walking over; they exchanged positions, quickly so as not to disturb Alice. 'Thanks,' Dominic said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. 'I just need to check on Charles' condition.' He bent down to kiss Alice's cheek before he went to the end of the jet where Charles sat solitarily.

* * *

Schuyler had been resting against Jack's warm chest, her eyes closed though she was not asleep, when she had fatefully cracked her eyes open to stretch, and saw Charles Force approach her mother and Alice; slowly, almost deferentially. She had to blink to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Both Allegra and her sister were asleep; Alice's legs were folded beneath her, but she was mostly leaning into Allegra, whose arms were enfolded about her. Schuyler watched him as he leaned down and kissed her mother's cheek, and then Alice's head. Charles seemed to pause there, hovering above Alice, as though he were in pain – or he were about to cry. But he turned so that Schuyler could no longer see his face, and removed his jacket and draped it carefully over the both of them, moving a lock of Alice's fine blonde hair away from her face tenderly.

'I have been blind,' Schuyler heard him whisper as he knelt down before them. 'I have been so blind. But now I see.' Charles either sobbed or let loose a loud hiccup – Schuyler couldn't tell; he muffled it into his clenched fist. 'I see now...' he murmured. 'Forgive me, sweet Uriel, Little One. Gabrielle, my love, my life... Forgive me...'

Schuyler remained very still, watching him, her hand on Jack's chest, steadily rising and falling with his breathing – but she shut her eyes quickly when Charles turned. She sensed him come toward her and Jack, and panic rose for an instant, before he seemed to pause, to stand there.

'And you, daughter of Allegra...' she heard him say softly. She tensed as she felt his hand stroke her head gently, brushing the backs of his fingers across her cheek. 'You should have been mine. You should have always been mine...'

When Schuyler found the wits to open her eyes, Charles was nowhere in sight. She touched her cheek, her skin still tingling from where he had touched her. Charles seemed to shirk at the thought of her most of the time – but then what had just happened?

Her thoughts echoed in the same way for the rest of the flight; she didn't want to confront him about it – he would know she had been listening to him. Luckily for her, Charles remained in the back cabin, apparently avoiding everyone, including her.

Landing at JFK, Schuyler was unsteady on her feet. She felt dizzy, her bones like Jell-O. She'd never had jet-lag like this before. When she stood, she quickly clutched at Jack's arm.

'Sky?' Jack caught her as her knees nearly gave out. 'What's wrong?'

Schuyler shook her head. 'Nothing.' She took a step, and then another. She was fine. Wasn't she? 'I'm okay.' But she barely made it to the terminal, having to muster every ounce of her will to pull herself along. And then Jack was worried.

'Hey.' He looked into her eyes, but Schuyler was fighting just to keep them open.

'Schuyler?' Alice was coming toward her now, but Schuyler's vision was blurred. It was Alice's voice, but... But it looked like her mother... She couldn't tell one from the other now.

'Schuyler!' her mother shouted, but her voice was muted, distant. The plane cabin dissolved and all faded to black around her.

* * *

*GASP*

Review, and you'll find out sooner than later... I am a tyrant, I realise, but have no desire to do a thing about it :)

spiffy


	18. Azazel, the Darkling

Exams are over! Well, for now; I have them again in November... But anyway, to celebrate my - albeit temporary - freedom, a chapter (or two!)

And also a note: I know Alice and Dominic have mostly been central to the story, but I think I prefer it that way - although never fear! Schuyler shall have her moments! I mean, the Van Alen Legacy didn't have Schuyler do much either I suppose... But I think her triumph, for this story anyway, will come in the next instalment *coughcough* sequel *coughcough* ;)

* * *

She awoke amidst Mountain Dew yellow and Playbill covers. Schuyler could make them out, though her vision was still hazy. She was home. Finally.

'When did she last perform the Kiss?'

'She's only ever had one familiar... But she hasn't seen him since we left New York in the first place.'

'So she has had no blood for months. Is this what you're telling me?'

'She has lasted this long without... Without...'

'She _is_ part-human, after all. Perhaps it allows her to go without the blood for longer. The blood running through her veins... Both Red and Blue. One would think her powers would only be a shadow of a normal Blue Blood, but it is the opposite. This is a desirable side-effect, if I may say so.'

'You smile at her condition?'

'Oh, don't be such a tight-ass Charlie. Don't you get the concept of irony?'

'M-mother...' Schuyler croaked and, when she looked up, found that Allegra had been sitting by her all along; her mother's hand covered hers. She wondered faintly how on earth everyone managed to fit into her small room anyhow. She saw Beauty, her beloved bloodhound, huddled at the foot of her bed, snuffling at her feet.

'Shh, don't.' Allegra moved over and nestled Schuyler in the curve of her body.

'She needs blood,' Dominic said grimly. He turned to Alice. 'Think you'd better go a-hunting.'

'But – but we don't have _time_ for that!' Jack exclaimed impatiently. 'Why don't we just call Oliver?'

'She will _not _perform the Caerimonia on her Conduit,' Charles cut in sharply. 'I forbid it.'

'Hate to burst your high and mighty bubble Charles, but you don't actually have any say in the matter.' Alice walked over to Schuyler's bedside. 'You'd better call him,' she said. 'Your familiar, I mean.'

Schuyler blinked groggily. 'Are – are you sure?' Her arms shook as she pushed herself up, but Allegra helped her and Beauty pounced up and barked happily.

'Yes.' Allegra handed her the iPhone sitting on the bedside table.

Having to gawk at the screen for a few moments to see properly, Schuyler hesitated. She hadn't seen him in so long... It was strange, now that she thought about it. Had he been pining for her? Had he spent nights thinking about her, wanting her? She had marked him as hers – and there were consequences that made Schuyler feel so guilty... And what would he say at the dazzling new strangers?

'Take your time, darling, we're only putting your life in the balance with every passing second,' Alice drawled.

Schuyler shook her head to focus, and found Ollie's number. She held the phone to her ear hesitantly.

'Sky?' came a muzzy voice that made Schuyler's heart flood with warmth; she had gone without the sound of her best friend's voice for too long. 'Where are you?' he asked.

'I... I'm home, Ollie. I'm back in New York.'

'Really?' He sounded instantly more awake, and definitely delighted – no, more than that. He sounded ecstatic. 'Can I come see you?'

'Yeah, actually, that's what I wanted to call you about...'

* * *

'Whoa.' Oliver Hazard-Perry stood at her doorway, his mouth agape at the people in it. 'Made some new... Friends?'

Schuyler saw him swallow at the sight of Charles, blink at Alice and Dominic, before freezing as he turned to face her. Her mother was still beside her. 'Hi Ollie,' she said.

Oliver said nothing, but came toward her and wrapped his arms tightly around her small form. 'I missed you,' he murmured.

'I missed you too.' Schuyler was the first to pull away. 'Ollie, I need... I need to...' She carefully moved her fingers toward his neck.

'Sorry to cut the pleasantries short,' Alice said nonchalantly, 'but she needs to bite you, cutie.'

Ollie glanced backward at Alice – doing a double take when he looked at Allegra sitting beside Schuyler – and then said very quietly, 'Um, who are they?'

'Can I explain later?' Schuyler entreated.

Oliver nodded slowly. 'So – uh – guess I should...' He sat down on the edge of her bed and pulled his collar down.

Schuyler crawled out from beneath the sheets (realising that her mother and the others had left them alone), and into Oliver's lap. 'I missed you, Ollie...' she said, her lips tracing the place that her fangs had bitten into so many times before. She felt the shudder rip through him, and she knew he wanted her. His hands had moved to her hips, one sliding upward into her hair. 'I'll tell you everything later... Okay?' She brought out her fangs slowly, grazing them against his skin. Schuyler could hear the beat of his blood, the rich, life-giving pulse that throbbed so readily...

'O-okay...'

* * *

It was nearly four in the morning, and Mimi was curled up in her princess bed, sheets wrapped around her like a cocoon. She didn't need to sleep quite as often as a Red Blood seventeen year old did, but when she _did_ hit the sack, it meant that she was exhausted.

Kingsley silently crossed the room and knelt beside the bed. With a gentle finger he flicked the hair falling into her face away, and touched her cheek. He told himself he didn't want to disturb her, that he wanted to watch her sleep – and he did – but God, did he want to slide into the bed beside her... Mimi fidgeted a little, and Kingsley smiled to himself; she adjusted her cheek on the pillow, and he carefully leaned in close to kiss her nose.

Mimi's eyes flickered open, and one heartbeat passed. Two. 'Kingsley?'

Her whisper laced through the darkness and wound itself about his heart. Kingsley smiled softly. 'Hey.' Christ, she was perfect.

Mimi blinked, and hurriedly moved to sit up, to reach for him – but he stood up. 'No – no, don't go...' She didn't care that she sounded so pleading, so soft. She wanted him to stay with her – to tell her he loved her again. Mimi didn't realise how desperate she looked.

The Cheshire smile returned, and Kingsley pulled off his jacket. 'I'm not going anywhere, Force. Not by a long shot.' He dropped his jacket to the floor. 'Scoot over.'

Hope flooding through her, Mimi lifted her blanket, and he slid into the bed beside her. She immediately wrapped her arms and legs around him, pressing her face into the hollow of his shoulder.

'Always nice to see you,' he chuckled, but his hands were gentle on her back and in her hair. She smelled like jasmine and honeysuckle, like she'd just had a warm bath. Oh, a bath with Mimi, now that sounded good... 'I've only been away a couple of weeks. Miss me already?'

'Shut up,' was Mimi's muffled reply. She'd begun to miss him the second he'd walked away, but she wouldn't tell anyone that. 'Just hold me, okay?' Jeez. He couldn't stay serious, could he?

Kingsley's smile threatened to crack the top of his head open. 'Okay.' He kissed her temple and rubbed her back in soothing circles. 'I missed you, sweetheart.'

Mimi shifted, sliding a leg upward to drape it over his hips and burying her face in his neck. 'Good.' She kissed the strong cords of his throat and dragged her lips to his jaw, and then tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth. 'Tell me you love me.' Even though he seemed to never be serious, he always seemed to do what she asked. And Mimi loved it. He would have done most anything, if she'd only say so.

'I love you.' Kingsley pulled her up so that she straddled his middle, and kissed her. 'I love you,' he said again, kissing her neck. 'Every inch of you.' Body and soul, shell and spirit.

'Mm.' A satisfied smile curved Mimi's lips, and she sighed deeply. It made her content, giddy even, to hear him say it. To know it was true with every word. It was nice to be wanted. Kingsley did what every woman – Blue or Red Blood – wanted their men to do; to adore them, to worship them like they were the most wonderful thing in their universe. And, oh, he did it so, so well. Mimi let him trace the top of her negligee with his lips before tugging on his hair playfully. 'Want me?' she teased, seeing his eyes hooded with desire.

'More than anything.'

* * *

'And where do you think _you're_ going?' Allegra asked as she watched her sister creep out of the room. 'Get back here, I'm getting cold on one side.' She smiled at Schuyler who, safely huddled and warm on her left, giggled.

'I'm hungry, and therefore I am going to feed myself, because you obviously don't seem inclined to.' Alice cinched her coat tighter and continued walking to the door. 'And there happens to be a glorious pancetta and mozzarella panini in Central Park with my name on it, thank you very much.'

Allegra smiled languidly, shafts of early morning light streaming across her bed. 'Hattie will make you something.'

'But I want a panini.' Alice looked like a child then, one who wasn't getting her way at all. She looked to Schuyler austerely. 'You there, keep your annoying mother warm. I am getting a toasted goddamn sandwich, and no one is going to stop me.'

'No, wait,' Schuyler said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. 'Can I come? I'm kind of hungry...'

Alice looked triumphantly at Allegra. 'Aha! I win!' She was suddenly frowning, and then she darted out of the room – she came back, pulling a bleary-eyed Dominic by the arm. 'Nicky's coming too.' She pinched his cheek. 'Aren't you, DomDom?'

* * *

'Ferrara's?' Schuyler said incredulously. The Italian cafe was famous for its coffee and pastries, and had apparently gained Alice as a loyal fan through their kiosk at Central Park.

Alice looked positively blissful, and she was already skipping ahead.

Dominic and Allegra shared a look, but they both shrugged helplessly.

'Oh,' said the man behind the counter, his eyebrows raised in amusement, 'I was wondering when you'd be back.'

Alice grinned. It was probably hard to forget a girl who ordered half the kiosk.

'Someone's been asking for you,' he said, scratching his balding head.

A frown furrowed Alice's brow. 'For me?' Who in New York would ask for her _here,_ of all places? She could only think of Mimi who would try to track her down, and she seriously doubted she would have tracked her down to this kiosk. It wasn't as though she'd told anyone she'd stuffed her face there. 'Did they leave a name?' she asked.

'Yeah, Heaven, or Joy, or something weird like that... It was that pretty redhead girl you were with before.'

Bliss? thought Alice. What would _she_ be looking for her for?

'What's going on?' Dominic asked as the other three came behind her.

'Um...' Alice was still frowning. 'The last time I was here, someone mistook me for her mother – I mean, I guess I'd look like every other blonde mother this side of New York from far away – and she just looked so... Dazed. So I let her have coffee with me.' She turned back to the man at the counter. 'Thanks.'

He waved a hand. 'No problem. She's been coming every day asking for you.'

'Every _day?'_ Schuyler repeated. 'She must want to see you really bad.'

'S-Schuyler?' a familiar voice spluttered.

'_Bliss?'_ Schuyler beamed at the sight of her friend – no, her sister! 'Oh my God – you're okay!' She hugged her fiercely, and while Schuyler felt her hug back, when she pulled away, she saw Bliss staring at the three who were with her. 'Oh, um... I guess you've met mom, right?' She tried to laugh, but Bliss was looking between Allegra and Alice with wide eyes.

'You...' she said, unable to find any words. 'You're...'

'Hello, Bliss,' Allegra said, smiling and coming forward and kissing her other daughter's cheek.

'Mother...' Bliss was happy when her mother embraced her, but couldn't tear her eyes away from the other one, the one who she had met...

'_Mother?'_ Alice's laugh was dry and humourless. 'You're – _you're_ the other one? _You're_ the other daughter? You – but you're not – ' She was yanked backward by Dominic, whose gaze was the most fiery Schuyler had seen it, and the sky seemed to darken with him; the angel she had seen that night had returned, only this time, enraged and fearsome.

'_Azazel!' _Dominic growled fiercely, keeping Alice behind him. Dominic looked ready to leap at Bliss, and was reaching for his sword tucked into his jacket. 'Spawn of Lucifer!' he spat. 'Dark child, daughter of evil!'

'Dominic!' Allegra said, holding a hand on his chest to keep him from outright charging, but even she seemed to have trouble forcing him away from Bliss. Without another moment, she nodded at Alice, and the two of them brought everyone into the glom.

'Dominic, stop it!' Alice held him back, but he was like a beast unleashed, and was intent on only one thing – Bliss.

Schuyler stood between them; it was like her mother, Alice and Dominic were _made_ of brilliant, beautiful light, and Bliss... Bliss was a mortal they had dragged into the glom, and she looked so ordinary, so afraid and weak... She wanted to back away, and fear overtook her when Dominic let out a ferocious roar, and it took all of Alice's strength to keep him away from Bliss.

'Dominic!' Allegra shouted. 'Stop this – she is no longer Corrupted!'

'She is the daughter of Lucifer – she is Corruption itself!'

'No, Dominic!' Schuyler finally found her voice and rushed in front of Bliss. 'She's – she's human!'

'She is of Red Blood now,' Allegra said. 'Michael's sword has ensured it!'

Dominic's gaze was still bright, livid, but he stopped fighting against Alice and Allegra's restraint. 'I destroyed you...' he said, breathing heavily. 'In Egypt, I destroyed you.'

'On Michael's orders,' Allegra said, feeling her daughter's terror behind her. 'I knew it...'

Dominic shook his head. 'No. No, it was not Michael who commanded me.'

* * *

'_...And the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there forever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgment he shall be cast into the fire."_

'The Almighty...' Allegra shook her head, sighing. 'The Almighty Himself...' She turned to Bliss and held her face in her hands. 'I'm sorry, Bliss, I'm so sorry...' She wrapped her arms around her. 'My daughter... Forgive me, I couldn't help you...'

'She held the Morningstar's soul in her own,' Dominic said, still disbelieving. Back then, when he had been the first to attempt to slay Azazel, he had thought she was another of Lucifer's higher demons, another spawn of his evil. Only later, after lives and millennia, did he find the truth – the truth about Gabrielle and Lucifer, aeons before Lucifer had fed off of Tiberius in Rome... When Azazel had first been born, she had been stolen away by the darkness, by the demons of Hell, disappearing soon after her birth. And when she had returned... Red blood had painted the desert sands, sin had come wherever she stepped – and then... 'But you say she is no longer a threat?'

'She stabbed herself with – with a sword...' Schuyler remembered it well, when she, Jack and Mimi had escaped from the glom and there, in the Church, Bliss had come toward her...

'Michael's blade,' Allegra said, turning to them. 'It vanquished Lucifer's connection to her. But...'

'I'm not a Blue Blood anymore,' Bliss said quietly. 'I'm just... Human.'

Schuyler thought she sounded sad, and she probably was. To go from living with the powers of the Blue Blood, and then to go without... She imagined it must have been hard adjusting. 'How have you been?' she asked.

Bliss shrugged. 'Not great, I guess, but not bad.' She would have liked to spend some time with Allegra, anyway. And to see Schuyler again made her feel a lot better.

'So...' Alice began, interrupting the silence, 'I heard you were looking for me.'

* * *

And a twist! Well, I thought so... And, with a review, on to the next chapter!

spiffy


	19. Oh, Brother

Just 'cause I'm happy and 'cause I thought the last chap was a little short...

* * *

'Don't call me Auntie, though,' Alice remarked. 'I know I'm old, but it's still weird.'

Bliss laughed; physically, there was almost no difference between Allegra and Alice, save for maybe the height and their eyes, but other than that... Well. It was pretty damn obvious they were sisters. They might as well have been the same person... But she had an _aunt_!

'I'm... I'm sorry for earlier,' Dominic said, the rage and the viciousness gone, leaving only the kind and gentle boy for Bliss to see. 'I thought – you triggered a memory, and... I'm sorry I said those things. I didn't know about... I thought...'

Alice rubbed his nape encouragingly, smiling warmly. _Darling boy_, she teased.

Dominic smiled feebly before he enfolded Alice in his arms and pressed his face into her hair.

'This is a lot to take in,' Bliss said nervously. She looked to Schuyler. 'Isn't Oliver with you?'

Schuyler pursed her lips. 'Ollie... Ollie never left New York, Bliss.' She sighed, looking a little bit awkward. 'Jack came with me.'

'Jack?' Bliss searched her sister's eyes. 'You're with Jack again?'

Schuyler nodded, but there was no guilt, no shame, no nervousness.

'Hey, I realise this is a lovely family reunion and everything, but could we do it somewhere outside the glom?' Alice crossed her arms. 'It's kind of creepy having this Kodak moment in here.'

* * *

'Miss Force? Miss Force, are you awake?'

Mimi swatted the bubbles in the bath away in annoyance. 'What the hell do they want now?' she spat.

'Easy, Force, don't get so worked up...' Kingsley purred and rubbed her shoulders.

Her irritation drooped slightly, and Mimi let her head fall back onto Kingsley's shoulder. She hadn't slept a wink after he'd arrived. As if she could.

As if he'd _let_ her.

'Miss Force?' a maidservant said again, knocking.

Snapping her eyes open, Mimi looked livid. _'What?'_ she flared, her words lashing out like a whip.

'I'm sorry Miss, but your father and brother are home. They'd like to see you in the living room.'

Mimi froze. Charles? And Jack? 'Shit!' She stood up in the tub, water sloshing irritably around her, and reached for a towel. She eyed Kingsley sitting back, enjoying the view. 'What the hell are you doing? Get out!'

'And whatever for?'

'If my father finds out – '

'Your father already knows, Mimi.' Kingsley let out a contented sigh, his head against the edge of the tub, his arms draped over the sides. 'He knows about, um – _us._ And he knows about your brother and Schuyler too. It's all good. So stop being such a worrisome little vampire and get back in the water. I'm not even halfway finished with you yet.'

* * *

Mimi appeared not a few minutes later, much to Kingsley's disgruntlement. Her eyes flickered over Charles, to Trinity who was teary but composed nonetheless – and then to her twin. _'You!'_ She nearly charged at him, fangs bared, her eyes full of green fire, but Kingsley took her elbow.

'I trust,' Charles said, sitting down in a Louis XVI Bergere chair, 'that you were well in our absence.' He glanced at his son, sitting pensively in a kissing chair, his elbows on his knees as he returned Mimi's gaze; his own was soft, hooded, friendly even.

'Hey.' Jack wouldn't deny it – he'd missed her.

'What the hell are you doing here?' Mimi spat, purposely lining every word with as much venom as she could muster. She turned to Charles. 'Why is he just sitting there – he violated the Code, forsook our bond!' Why wasn't her father doing anything? Why was everybody so fucking _calm_?

'I have called for the Conclave,' Charles said. 'We will go Force Tower shortly.' There was almost an... _Amused_ glint in his eyes. 'But I thought you might have liked to say hello to your brother first.'

'All I want to do is rip him to pieces,' Mimi said, trying to snarl, to be vicious, but her words were too soft. 'He...' Left her. Abandoned her. Turned his back on everything they had. 'He's no brother of mine.'

'Don't say that, Mimi.' Jack's voice was tender and gentle, and it made Mimi's resolve sway.

He stood, and Mimi took a step back – only to be met with Kingsley's chest.

'Let the man speak, Force.'

Kingsley sounded empathetic with Jack, and Mimi groaned mentally. She should have unsheathed her sword, slashed him into ribbons by now! But no, no, everyone was just so la-di-_freaking_-da about it. Jack was a traitor, an angel who had rebelled against the laws of Heaven itself! 'Stay the hell away from me, Jack.' And he had left a wound so deep inside her that stung whenever she thought about all they had lived through, all they had once been... She knew that, perhaps, with time, Kingsley might be able to soothe the pain, to stitch her up and kiss it all better, but Jack's presence had ripped it wide open.

Jack advanced no further. He put his hands in his pockets, looking to the floor. 'As you wish.'

He was still so satisfying to look at, so still very much like her own reflection. Mimi wanted to hate him, to loathe him, to desire nothing more than to want him dead – but she couldn't bring herself to feel anything of the sort. She stared at him, standing there, as though he had nowhere else to be at the moment. 'Where's the half-blood?' she asked carelessly. Maybe she had been dragged to Hell along the way somewhere...

Charles answered her this time. 'With her mother and the others.'

Ah, thought Mimi sadly, no such luck, then. 'The others?'

'The other Uncorrupted,' Kingsley said. 'Alice and Allegra. And Alice's twin Dominic.'

So, the Uncorrupted were whole once more, were they? Mimi wondered for a moment where Alice and Kingsley had gone, and if it had involved the bringing of her father back to New York. And who the hell was Dominic – oh. Alice's twin; Alice was Uriel, so that meant Dominic was... Raphael? Now _he_ was someone Mimi would have found gorgeous, and quite happily lusted after, she remembered. Someone other than Jack that matched her good-looks. But... Where had they been all this time, all these centuries? The last Mimi could remember of them was when they had left England – a time when Uriel had been known as Evangeline, and Raphael had been Nathaniel. Mimi remembered vaguely something about Evangeline becoming Regis of the European Coven, but her memories were still shaky there.

'Told you she wouldn't kill you,' Kingsley was joking with Jack.

Mimi frowned. What?

'Think she just might,' Jack replied, noticing how his sister's expression was a brilliant culmination of anger and annoyance.

'I'm not going to,' Mimi snapped. Since when had Jack and Kingsley been so... Friendly? When had this happened?

'Excuse me, Mr Force.'

They all turned to see one of the uniformed butlers, waiting patiently for a moment to butt in.

'I'm sorry for disturbing you, but your guests are waiting in the hall.'

Charles took on a satisfied smile. 'Bring them in, then.'

* * *

The Four were all near each other by a green velvet divan; Charles stood behind the seat, his shirtsleeves folded upward as his hands leaned on the backing, Allegra sat on the piece itself with Alice sitting opposite her, while Dominic was sitting on an armrest. They made a magnificent quartet, their brilliance so much more palpable when they were together.

Their beauty and their light, Schuyler realised, was very different from Lucifer's. While the Morningstar's shine had been harsh and blinding, hurtful in its brilliance, the Four's was obvious, but almost subtle in its radiance, not only brightening the whole room with white, beautiful light, but illuminating the very air, as though their glow brought out the lightest in every single particle around them. And their beauty was so very different. Lucifer had been so handsome it was almost painful to bear, like it hurt to see his beauty, but the Uncorrupted's exquisiteness only brought joy, elation to the heart; like looking at them was something that elevated the soul, like the very sight of them brought sheer happiness and hope.

Schuyler was stunned; she couldn't take her eyes off of them – and neither could anyone else in the room. Not even Mimi, who stood there as if she could go on staring at them forever. She hadn't always liked the Uncorrupted as a whole, but God, they were something to behold.

'We will go to Force Tower, to the Conclave,' Charles said. Any trace of the ruthless media mogul Schuyler had known was gone; his voice was softer, less callous. To Schuyler's disbelief, he even looked more youthful. Perhaps it was the fact that his hand rested warmly on her mother's shoulder, or maybe the fact that he was with the other three again. 'There is much to discuss, to explain. And there are things that must be dealt with.' He looked at his companions, at Allegra, Alice and Dominic. This was his family – his _true_ family. 'But we will deal with them together. I will not let any harm come any of you.' His words were aimed at the other four, the young who had broken their bonds and the Code. Uriel was right. She always was. It would have been wrong to punish them the way the Conclave would have expected.

Jack gazed in admiration at the four Archangels before him; they were creatures of the White, the very embodiments of the Light. They were dazzling and beautiful, glorious and wonderful. Everything would be all right. He knew it. They would fight for his and Schuyler's love – for Mimi and Kingsley's too. It was going to be okay.

Mimi wasn't quite sure what she was feeling at that moment; she was sure she would feel some sort of spite toward these Angels of the White, Archangels, warriors and guardians of the Light and the Almighty's most beloved children. No, that wasn't fair... They were the most powerful, the most loving and joyful of his children, and so seemed to have the favour of the Almighty. But instead in her heart she was somehow overjoyed, for some reason full of hope, at the sight of the Four.

* * *

'You seem nervous,' Dominic said as Mimi and the others filed into the room where the entire Committee was waiting. He, Alice and Allegra were waiting there while Charles was speaking, explaining several things before he even dared attempt to show the Uncorrupted had returned – the bunch of them in there were half-hysterical, half-ecstatic at his return as it was.

Mimi met Dominic's eyes for the first time in centuries. They were extraordinarily kind, but behind the softness Mimi saw a strength she thought venerable; she knew better than to mistake his compassion and mercy as weakness. But his gentle words made her want to curl up into a ball and sleep till Christmas. 'I'm – I'm not!' she tried, and Dominic smiled softly.

'It's all right if you are.' His smile was so gentle, so warm. Dominic turned away, to face Alice sitting on a marble bench.

'Don't fret, darling,' Allegra was saying to Schuyler before she went in with Jack. 'All will be well.' She kissed her daughter's forehead in blessing, and watched as she, Jack, Mimi and Kingsley were led into the hall by Trinity Force, into the room where the Committee awaited.

'Charles, your return is a sign to us,' a Warden said. It was one of the Rockefeller's; the eldest son of Dorothea. He sounded hopeful, encouraged by the return of Michael, Pure of Heart. 'Our new Conclave has unanimously voted you as Regis once more – we agreed that if and when you should return...'

'You have told us what happened in Lutetia,' said another. It was Nan Cutler's daughter – she was ashamed of her mother and her father, but stood with the Blue Bloods unwaveringly. 'And you have said explained to us the situation between Abbadon and Azrael is... Unique. You have told us of the circumstances surrounding them and their new... Partners.' She cleared her throat. 'Allegra's daughter, is she here?'

'Yes.' Charles turned, and Schuyler, Jack, Mimi and Kingsley entered, led by Trinity to be seated in the stands of the hall; it looked almost like a tribunal, as though Charles were on trial – though it was hardly the case. The high-ranking Committee members were seated in the front row, a curved bench, and the rest of the Blue Bloods sat on ascending platforms, like an auditorium. 'But that is not the urgent matter at hand.'

'How so?' Helena Oelrich demanded; the sister of the late Chief Warden. 'The bond between two of our strongest has been broken! It is of utmost importa –'

'Their circumstances will be reviewed another time,' Charles interrupted, and a murmur of slight agreement echoed through the chamber.

'I agree.' It was Desmond van Horn. 'There is the matter of the Gates. You have told us they are under threat – and we all know that the Croatan attempt to rise once more, to bring the Morningstar to the earth – and we have seen enough to understand the danger...' He shook his head. 'My uncle would have been glad to stand with us.'

'What shall we do?' It was the brother of the late Priscilla Dupont; his voice was nearly a squeak. 'What will we do, Charles? We have been proved so vulnerable...' The vampires around him looked equally, if not more, frightened, afraid of what the future held. The Blue Bloods were under threat again – by their most ancient enemy, the Silver Bloods, and their leader, the Prince of all Evil and Darkness, the Morningstar, Lucifer. The thought was sickening, and brought a shudder to each and every one in the hall.

'This is the other part of my news – perhaps the best part of it.' Charles looked around him, at the quivering, hesitant Committee around him. He felt a strange surge of pity and protectiveness. 'I have not come alone,' he announced. He shifted on the spot, the corners of his lips twitching in a stifled smile. He saw the way the Wardens sat up even straighter, sharing puzzled looks.

'What – what do you mean, Charles?' the Rockefeller heir asked. 'We have seen your son and daughter, as well as Allegra's, and the Silver Blood. Who else has come?'

Charles knew he was trying to be firm, but he heard the hope in his fellow's voice, saw it in the eyes of the vampires around him. Most of them were past their Sunset Years, perhaps a third were still young. But they all knew enough to know the Uncorrupted – and any of them whose memories were not up to scratch, they were soon to be jolted.

'Allegra is awake, is she not?' a voice said loud and clear from the reaches of the benches. Desmond van Horn again.

'Yes.' A ripple went through the crowd, and at Charles' simple reply, the door to the hall opened once more, and a robed, hooded figure entered, their face obscured. 'My dear,' Charles said quietly, glancing at his companion.

The hood fell – and there, Allegra van Alen stood, staring into the eyes of her brethren.

'She has returned!' exclaimed a member from the back. 'Allegra has returned!'

The hall was echoing with the sounds of gasps and murmurs, and Charles cleared his throat. 'She will take her former place, as will I.'

'This is good news indeed, Regis,' Nan Cutler's daughter said, smiling. 'Allegra, I extend my personal welcome back.'

Allegra looked up at the front bench and smiled. 'It has been too long since I have walked these halls.'

'You both bring us great hope,' said the Dupont, looking exhaustibly relieved. 'With the two of you, and with Abbadon and Azrael, we shall – '

'I am afraid,' Charles cut in again, sounding amused, 'that she is not the only one I have brought.'

Curiosity and bemusement practically dripped from the Committee.

Charles raised a hand, and the doors opened again; two hooded figures, dressed in the same pure white robes as he and Allegra, entered swiftly. The older two stepped aside so that the others stood between them. Without another word, their hoods were thrown back – and no one needed say anything more. Many of the older Committee members dropped to their knees, kneeling at their benches. They all knew, the memories had come back with the mere sight of the Four standing there.

* * *

What now? Huh? Huh? Huh? Maybe this was a little bit of a filler - but I guess it extended the last one because it was so short...

R&R children! :D

spiffy


	20. Play Nice, Children

Enjoy!

* * *

"_This first is Michael, the merciful and long-suffering: and the second, who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael: and the third, who is set over all the powers, is Gabriel: and the fourth, who is set over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life, is named Uriel."_

The entire hall was in joyous uproar, and Schuyler felt their rejoicing deep within her soul as she looked down at her mother, Alice, Charles and Dominic. The hall was flooded in soft, incandescent light, and their presence made the room seem brighter, happier. There was not a single Blue Blood in New York who didn't know now. Michael, Gabrielle, Uriel and Raphael, united again. They were powerful, but amplified by a thousand when they were together. News would spread like wildfire, and Blue Bloods the world over would exult, would feel their hearts lift. Hope would fill them, would ease their minds and soothe their souls. Lucifer may have struck fear in their kind, may have shown his hand and his evil, but the Blue Bloods would rest easy tonight.

The Uncorrupted had returned.

The Committee was overjoyed, in raptures, and the Four remained with the Conclave and the Elders at Force Tower. Jack, Mimi, Kingsley and Schuyler left, although the last was surprised to find Julius outside the building waiting for her.

'You're going home?' Jack asked, frowning deeply. He saw the Van Alen driver, and knew Schuyler would return to her home on Riverside Drive. Kingsley was standing by their car that would take them back to the Force mansion, and Mimi had already slipped inside.

Schuyler nodded. 'I just want to be at home,' she said. 'I'll wait for them there.'

'I'll go with you,' Jack said.

'No, it's okay, you should go home too.' Schuyler smiled softly, Jack's hand still holding her arm gently. 'Mimi's probably missed you.' She would have liked Jack to come with her, but she knew that there was something between the twins that had to be mended, even if it wasn't their bond. And she would enjoy being back at Riverside Drive, with Hattie and Julius, and Beauty too. And her mother and Alice and Dominic would return, perhaps not for a little while, but they would come back. It was the afternoon now, and the sun was warm around them.

Jack looked down at his shoes and nodded. _I'll come over later, okay?_

Schuyler nodded again. _You need to be at home with Mimi. _She wanted to spend some time with Oliver. _Do what you need to. _And she would do what she needed to; to go home, and to settle into the old, familiar house again. And spend some time with Ollie. 'Go on,' she said, stepping away, towards the car. 'I'll see you later.' She watched Jack hesitate to go – they had spent so much time together that it was almost odd, somehow troubling to be separated – and continually turn back as he walked away.

_Everything will be okay, won't it? _Schuyler sent.

Jack looked over his shoulder and gave her a gorgeous smile. _Yes._

* * *

'I love awkward moments,' Kingsley said, sitting between the Force twins like a physical buffer. He tapped his hands on his knees like a toddler and looked from Mimi to Jack; she made a face and rolled her eyes, while he smiled weakly. 'Come on kiddies, is that any way to speak to each other? Or – er – _not_ speak to each other?'

'Shut up, Kingsley... Just – just...' Mimi crossed her arms and swung a leg over the other. What did he want her to do, just roll over and forgive Jack for everything? Uh, hel_lo!_

But Kingsley's words prompted Jack to try anyway. He reached for her mind with his; felt it reach back, before she recoiled and turned away. He tried again, more gently. _Mimi..._

_Go away. Get out of my head. _She thought he'd renounced his rights to her mind the day he'd left her waiting at the church.

_Forgive me_, he beseeched. _I'm sorry, Mimi. _

_You have your little half-blood now, brother_! Mimi shot back viciously. _Now leave me the hell alone._

_I'm sorry,_ he sent again. _I'm sorry for everything. I never meant... I never meant to hurt you._

_Well, you fucking did, so just drop it and go away._

_If that is what you wish._

_It is._

_Is it?_

Mimi turned her head and glared at her twin; Kingsley leaned his head back to avoid gaining a hole burned through his skull from her gaze. _What do you want from me, Jack? _They could never be what they once were. Never again. And besides, she didn't _want _to. She had Kingsley, and he was all she wanted. Jack had left a wound inside her, and he was picking deeper and deeper...

_Forgiving me seems a lot to ask, I understand. _Jack's expression was sad. _But it is painful to think you despise me._

_You brought this upon yourself._

_Yes, I have. I know I've disappointed you, hurt you, but... I don't want us to be this way, Mimi._

_What did you fucking expect, Jack? That you could leave me and everything would be all cool? What the hell is wrong with you?_

_I do not want this estrangement. This animosity. Please, Azrael. Can't we at least..._

_Be friends?_ She actually laughed._ This isn't a movie Jack. Goddamn it, I don't even know how to look at you anymore._ Mimi shut her eyes and moved closer to her window. He didn't want her hatred. He wanted the platonic side of what they had. Could she do that? Could she be friends with him? They were still twins, still alike in a million different ways, still exactly the same on so many different levels... Their destinies had taken a twist, but could she forgive him? Overlook his foolishness, accept his apologies and be his friend? Oh, how she wanted to. There was no one who knew her better, who could be a better friend...

_Whether you believe me or not, I'm sorry, Mimi. I love you, I do, I always will. You are my twin. You are part of me._

Just not the part that required a bond, Mimi thought. _I'll be nice, Jack. That's it._ Perhaps she could make that concession. She could play nice. She wasn't all nasty, was she? There were good bits in the Angel of Death, weren't there? Of course there were. Kingsley saw them, saw them past all the things she might ever be ashamed of. _He_ thought she was a good egg, even though he knew she was a little bit cracked. He loved her, even though deep down somewhere, Mimi knew that there things about herself that weren't so desirable – but she would rather die than ever admit it. Yes. She could be... Friendly. She could be friendly to the one person who had shattered so many of her dreams and hopes... Mimi caught her brother's beaming face, and felt a part of herself soften and squirm in shameless glee.

_Atta girl,_ came Kingsley, putting an arm around her. He kissed her temple, and swinging his other arm around Jack, said brightly, his eyes as wide as teacups, 'Now, doesn't _this_ feel a lot more comfortable?'

* * *

'Hi girl,' Schuyler said as Beauty licked her face. She laughed as the dog pushed her down to the floor and smothered her in drool. 'Down girl, down!'

'Miss Schuyler!' Hattie cried, bustling over and gently pulling Beauty off of her. 'Bad dog! Bad dog!'

'No, no it's fine Hattie,' Schuyler smiled, wiping her face with her sleeve. Beauty was still panting gaily, looking ready to pounce on her again as Hattie held her by the collar. 'Come on, girl,' she said, as she climbed the stairs to her room, and her bloodhound followed her happily.

'Mr Oliver said he would wait for you,' Hattie called. 'He is upstairs.'

'Thanks Hattie.' Schuyler opened the door to her room, and her best friend lay on her bed, leaning against her pillows.

'Hey,' he said, blinking tiredly. He put his arms up and stretched, yawning.

'You didn't have to wait,' Schuyler said as Beauty hopped up on the bed and nestled there. 'How long have you been here?'

'Not long.' Oliver smiled kindly. 'What, no hug?'

Schuyler ran to him then, launching herself into his arms. 'I missed you,' she said, her chin on his shoulder. 'I missed you so much, Ollie...'

'Missed you too babe.' Oliver's hold was strong, his voice husky. 'More than you know.' He sighed as they lay there like that for a moment, and then Schuyler pulled away to look at his face. 'You didn't call me,' he said, feigning hurt.

'I didn't know if the Committee was watching you then,' Schuyler told him, her small hands on his chest. 'And then things got so complicated...'

'Who're those other two?' Oliver asked. 'The guy – and the blonde girl. She's like... She looks _loads_ like you, Sky. It's kinda scary.'

'Alice and Dominic?' Schuyler sat up, moving off of him and folding her legs. She told him what she and Jack had learned from the Countess, told him how they had found them, the lost Uncorrupted. Told him how Alice was her mother's sister and therefore her aunt – which still irked Schuyler in funny way. She saw Alice more as a sister, incredibly so.

'Your _aunt_?' Oliver repeated in incredulity. 'That's...'

'Weird, huh?' Schuyler laughed. 'Yeah, she's our age, so it is kinda weird.' But she knew that Alice was really Uriel, and that Uriel was really an immortal angel that had been alive for thousands, if not millions, of years. And while her shell was that of a sixteen year old, she had seen and felt more than any ever could in a lifetime.

'And they're Raphael and Uriel...' Oliver appeared to ponder, a bemused smile on his face. 'That's heavy. I imagined them to be more like – like...'

'Charles and my mom?' Schuyler nodded. 'Me too.' But oh, how they were so different...

* * *

'_That_ was exhausting,' Alice yawned, shrugging out of the white robe and hopping into the elevator with her sister and Dominic and Charles. She twined one arm around Dominic's, and the other around Allegra's, standing between them.

Charles chuckled as the doors closed. 'How long has it been since you have sat in a Conclave?'

''Bout two hundred years.' Alice gathered her mouth on one side, thinking. 'Something like that. Not sure exactly.' The elevator glided up towards the surface; 100, 80, 60...

'Will you ascend as the European Coven's Regis when you come of age?' Allegra asked. 'You know they will ask it of you.'

Beg, more like.

'Um... I guess so.' Alice shrugged. The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped out, walking through the hall into the lobby of Force Tower. 'Can I at least finish school first, or something?' She might not even graduate, at this rate. The Second Great War had begun, and there were things to do, her duties as one of the mighty Uncorrupted to fulfil. She might already be twenty one by the time she returned to school for crying out loud. 'Or find the remaining Gates?' Four down, three to go. Far, far ahead of schedule. Would they prepare the Blue Bloods for war first?

'You could always go to Duchesne,' Allegra suggested teasingly; she shared a look with Charles as they walked out into the night air.

Alice's jaw dropped in horror. 'What, so you can give me curfews and read me bedtime stories?' she retorted. She loved her sister and her niece, but shipping herself halfway across the world in a snap was not a positive prospect for any socialite. _Hello, _she had a _life _in Europe_. _

On the curb was one of the Forces' black Bentleys and alongside a uniformed chauffeur.

'Yes. And to make sure you do your homework and that you don't dress like a stripper when you go out.'

Alice ignored her sister's playful jibe, but Allegra slung an arm over her shoulders.

_You could stay, you know. Until you've come of age._

'Home?' the driver asked when Charles approached.

Charles met Allegra's gaze – felt his heart sink a little – and then shook his head. 'No, Lionel. One stop first.'

The two sisters did not talk about Allegra's offer again, didn't say another word of it that whole drive home, but it hung uncomfortably in the air. Dominic, for one, would go anywhere with Alice, and Charles was quite happy to have the pair of them in New York.

Alice, however, was not altogether ready to decide. Maybe after they had handled the threat of the Croatan, then maybe... Maybe she'd decide. For now, she would stay wherever she was needed. She wouldn't make her decision yet. She couldn't choose where to live this Expression permanently _now._

The drive to Riverside Drive was, surprisingly, not a quiet one. Charles had eased up immensely, and it was now easier to speak, to reminisce, to catch up with each other like they were at a high school reunion, instead of mulling the day's events over. There would be time for that, they all knew.

'Are you coming, Charles?' Alice was the last to slide out of the car in front of the Van Alen mansion, and she stared at the older man still sitting there. 'Have dinner with us.'

Charles Force shook his head. 'Perhaps another time.' He smiled warmly. 'I will come in the morning.' He saw Allegra standing there over Alice's shoulder. 'Thank you, Alice.'

Alice nodded, and she shut the door behind her.

He was alone again. Charles sighed and closed his eyes. 'Home, Lionel.' Oh, a small part of him said softly, home is where the heart is.

'Yes, Mr Force.' And as the car rolled through Manhattan, Charles knew exactly where his heart was.

At the house on Riverside Drive.

* * *

Allegra padded gently across the living room to where Schuyler was napping on a sofa. Jack had been reading from Lawrence's old books beside her, but he silently left the room as Allegra pressed a kiss to her head.

Schuyler stirred, felt that warm, placating presence... She shifted, inhaling deeply as she opened her eyes. Her mother stared back at her, smiling.

'I didn't mean to wake you.' Allegra kissed her cheek. 'Go back to sleep.' It was still early in the evening, but she wouldn't disturb her.

'No,' Schuyler said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up, 'no, I just dozed off...' Jack had arrived that morning when Oliver had left – almost forcibly ejected by Hattie because he was so insistent, but Schuyler had been just as stubborn in making sure he actually got some rest – and he had kept her company in the warmth of the sunlight in the living room as she gloried in the magnificent view.

'Hattie says dinner will be ready in a bit,' Alice said, walking by and standing in the doorway, having changed into a pair of Adidas trackpants and the biggest sweatshirt in the world (Dominic's, by the looks of it). But even in that outfit, Schuyler duly noted, Alice was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen – her mother was almost identical to her, so she thought it was justice thinking so. She was wonderfully lovely in that natural, slapdash way that was only achievable by the truest of beauties without a trace of makeup. Even the huge sweatshirt looked good on her, hanging off of her as though it were made of silk, sliding off one slim, slender shoulder.

Schuyler nodded, but suddenly looked down at her stomach as it let out a loud, gurgling rumble, like a mutant zipper screeching up and down. She was a fraction of an instant from feeling embarrassed, but Alice was already laughing. Her mother stifled her own giggle.

'You are _definitely_ my niece,' Alice declared proudly.

__

_

* * *

_

So... _This is dinner at the Force household?_

Kingsley was on his best behaviour – at least as far as his cutlery was concerned; he was using the silverware exclusively instead of his fingers for once. Mostly because Charles Force sat two feet away from him at the table, and because Trinity would have thrown him out outright if he were anything less than a gentleman. She did not allow any riff-raff under her roof.

Mimi scowled. _It's not always like this._ She knew he meant Trinity's eerie politeness and perfunctory conversation. But she was kidding herself. Considering how he'd been so easy, so comfortable with Alice, she was sure Kingsley had seen more fun than the little gathering of the Forces.

'So where are Alice and Dominic?' Kingsley began verbally, turning to Charles whose knife sliced into a tender quail breast glazed with blood orange.

A twinge went off in Mimi's chest; he was bored, and he wanted his friends. The ones he could relax and be himself around.

'Staying at the Van Alen residence on Riverside Drive,' Charles said. He chewed slowly and swallowed. 'Where will you stay tonight, Kingsley?' His words implied that he was most certainly not staying at the Forces' – not when Mimi was only a door away, and not when they were both so... Charles flushed at the thought. So... _Hot-blooded._ Ahem.

'Why don't you stay here?' Mimi offered, aware of her father and mother's eyes widening.

Kingsley laughed out loud, shaking his head. 'Not sure that would be a good idea, Mimi.' He felt Charles' gaze bore a hole into the side of his skull. 'Thanks for the offer though. I have a suite at the Mandarin Oriental all ready and waiting for me.' He sensed Mimi's disappointment, felt her spirit slouch slightly.

'We have a guest room,' she said pointedly. What were Charles and Trinity so worried about, anyway? It wasn't as though she hadn't ever... Done _it_. In this lifetime and in the ones past. 'Hello.'

'I'm sure you have several,' Kingsley replied, smiling. _Worried I'll run off?_

_No!_ Mimi sent defensively. She hated it when he managed to get a finger into her weak spots, tickling like a madman. _My feet get cold, is all._

_Baby, there's nothing of yours that could ever get cold. You're such a liar. _Kingsley licked the drip of wine on his bottom lip, and knew that it sent Mimi crazy. His every move made her want to jump him – and he quite liked the thought of it, enjoyed the idea of tempting her right in front of Charles and Trinity.

When they finished the courses and made quick work of dessert, Charles cleared his throat in obvious preparation for an announcement. 'It is good to be home,' he said as an attendant poured coffee, 'but there is much to be done.'

Charles was always so vague at the beginnings of his speeches, thought Kingsley. He had no idea how Allegra, or Alice, or even Dominic, the most patient, dealt with it.

'The Conclave has agreed to hear you out on your case,' he said. 'About your bonds, I mean. The twins' have been broken, but...' He shrugged. 'It appears that this does not affect anyone adversely, save for the Coven's hopes for the two of you. The Code has been violated, but Alice will speak for you...' Alice had said that while breaking one's bond was not taken lightly – and not encouraged – it had irrevocably happened, and in this instance perhaps it was all right. The Conclave would listen to her. They might think him a tad biased considering what he had done when Allegra had broken their bond – aka nothing – and considering it was his own children they were dealing with, but Alice would move them. She had to. If anyone was gifted with words, it was her.

'When will they hear us?' Mimi's face was not blank, but was not rapturous either. She only looked determined.

At this, Charles sighed. His smile was wry, amused even.'That, I am afraid, will remain to be seen. There are other things that require the Coven's attention as it is, and love affairs, I am sorry to say, do not take precedence over our kind's existence.'

* * *

Soooo REVIEW! :D

I'll be very, very, very sad and lonely if you don't. D: Because I really have no life and my writing is everything :O

spiffy


	21. Waking Up Alone

**So um, I'm actually pretty annoyed right now. I don't expect paragraphs and paragraphs of praise, or intensely detailed critique. And the sad thing is that while you all happily enjoy this story, I go quite unheard. At least, that is the way it looks. I was _going_ to announce an upcoming prequel that is very well on the way, but the way things are at the moment, well, I don't really want to upload it anymore. I've got the rest of this story just sitting in my laptop, and I want all the people who've even said a peep to find out what happens, but as for the rest of you... I'm rather sad.**

**There may be little things in the story that annoy you - go on and let me know. If there are things you think should happen - let me know. If you hate this story and wish I'd shut the hell up, I really don't know what you're doing this far into the story. And if you favourited, or put on alert, or if you just plainly and simply like it, tell me why. It's easier for me to improve as a writer if people tell me what they think, where my strengths are and where I could expand or improve. **

**Don't have time to review, you say? Maybe. I mean, it's like quick-cook spaghetti. I share the view, along with Giorgio Locatelli, that six minutes instead of the usual eight or nine is quite ridiculous. You ruin the starch and molecular structure because it's been processed more and had fiddly technology make sure that it cooks approximately two to three minutes quicker, apparently for all the busy people in the world who _don't have time. _Dude, it's _two freaking minutes. _You will survive. **

**And so with reviews - it takes two minutes, even less. There are dozens of things you could say other than what you like and what you don't. What you hope happens, what you _think _happens, why my dialogue happens to be too chatty for your liking and should work on it. I don't know. I sometimes toot my own horn, but I can't come up with my own reviews. **

**Seriously. Writers, here and elsewhere, don't ask for feedback for the sake of feedback, and we don't even do it because it feels good when someone says they like what we write. **

**Well, okay. Sometimes we do.**

**But most of the time, there is actually a purpose.**

* * *

'You haven't answered my question,' Allegra said, appearing at the door as Alice brushed her hair.

Alice continued, stroke after stroke, her hair becoming softer and smoother with every movement of the Mason Pearson brush. Schuyler was sitting on Allegra's bed, reading through the diary Alice had kept as Georgiana Anstruther-Black. 'What question?' she asked. The room was only lit by the bedside lamps, but the three of them were like lit candles, all of them softly glowing in the dim. They were stunning, and Alice smiled as she saw them all in the mirror.

Allegra moved further into the room and stood behind her. 'Sky, could you give us a minute?'

Schuyler nodded, and left the diary there on the bed, but Alice called before she left, 'You can take it, if you want. I don't need it anymore. Not in this lifetime anyway.' She had seen how rapt Schuyler was when she had read the fair hand, almost like calligraphy in the way her handwriting graced the ink elegantly over the page.

When they were alone again, Allegra put her hands on Alice's shoulders; they were twins, in a way. The same piece of light, the same soul, divided to make two... 'I asked you to stay here, in New York. With me.'

Alice's hands stilled, but Allegra slipped the brush out of her hands and began to brush – memories came then, of them in almost the exact same position; in how many lives of theirs had Allegra brushed her sister's hair this way? Alice swallowed and gathered her composure again. 'You didn't ask, you suggested.' She met her sister's eyes in the mirror – it was one of the only two physical differences in each of their Expressions; hers were dark sapphire, Allegra's bright emerald. The other difference was in their height; Allegra was taller, but only by two or three inches at most.

'Don't avoid the issue.' Allegra's gaze was firm, her tone stern. 'I want you to stay here, Alice.' Her hands trembled for an instant. She _needed_ Alice here – even for immortals, for creatures who had been alive since the world's creation and beyond... Those hundreds of years might as well have been eternity in measuring how long they had been apart. They were more than halves of a whole, somehow. Vampire twins were twins because of the love they had pledged in Heaven, but Uriel and Gabrielle were bound more deeply – their very _beings_ were twined together inexorably.

'I wish it were simpler.' Alice looked down at her wrist, at the mark of the Archangel. And then beyond it, the intricate sapphire glow of her blood beneath her skin. Once, the Uncorrupted had been the same; the same pattern, the same beautiful lines of blood.

_It is simple._

Alice frowned. _It is not._

_Why?_ Allegra put the brush down and gently combed through Alice's hair with her fingers.

_I... I..._ Alice touched the skin of her wrist, and then her sister's fingers covered hers. Even their hands were the same, the same long, slender fingers – they probably even had the same fingerprints.

_You can return to England to take your place as Regis when you come of age, _Allegra sent, tucking her head beside Alice's on her shoulder. _But for now... Stay. I need you here. Schuyler needs you too._

Alice looked up swiftly. _I said that to you, once. I said I needed you – and you left anyway._

_I had no choice._

_You _**made**_ your choice._ While it was easy for Gabrielle, the Virtuous, to forgive and forget, Uriel was more vindictive, more inclined to hold a grudge. She was more volatile in nature. _Just as you made your choice to stop taking the blood for your familiar's love._ Alice moved out of her sister's warm embrace and stood, walking to the door. 'Good night,' she said. It was in this way she knew Schuyler's pain, her longing and her ache. Rose had made a decision in that life, and she had known of the consequences – just as Allegra had in this one. And Alice wasn't sure she could ever understand how; unlike her sister, she was not the kind to forgive so easily. She had forgiven Charles – because he had always been the thick one, she supposed, and he had always been so ignorant – but for her sister, her own _sister_, her flesh and blood, Uriel's Gabrielle...

'Alice...'

'I'll call Schuyler back for you,' was the last thing Alice said before she walked out. She didn't see the tears, didn't want to. Didn't want to know of Allegra's pain because she wanted to be preoccupied with her own. How _dare_ she feel hurt when it had been her to cause it all along? Why should _she_ feel so betrayed when she had been the first to betray? Alice began to make her way down the hall, but a gentle thumb wiped away a tear that had strayed down her cheek.

_Alice? _Dominic's heart constricted painfully; Uriel's tears were never something he wanted to see. It hurt more when she didn't reply, when she only sobbed harder into his shirt. _Alice... _Dominic felt her body go weak against his, holding onto him as her body convulsed with every wave of tears. He froze for a moment, pressing his face to her hair before he lifted her into his arms and walked down the hall to the guest room he occupied. There were two large wet spots on his shoulder and his chest now, but he didn't care. He lay carefully on the bed and held her as she whimpered and trembled. Dominic only allowed himself to sleep when the sobbing ceased, when her breathing evened and her eyes had fluttered closed.

* * *

Allegra had heard the cries, the sobs and the whimpers from her room. She had fallen to the floor, Alice's tears bringing forth her own, and was crying softly, feeling Alice's hurt as well as hers. When they had been first born on earth, she had pledged, promised and vowed, _sworn_ to protect Uriel, to keep her safe, to always be there... She had felt what she imagined Red Blood mothers felt for their children, what she felt for Schuyler when she had been born. It had been easier in Paradise; Uriel, the Almighty's playful mischief maker, sharp-tongued and vengeful as well as kind and compassionate... She had never had to worry for Uriel then the way she did now. Although Uriel had a temper, the Almighty was there to help her overcome her weaknesses. On earth, Uriel played the parts of both child and sister, both daughter and twin.

'Mother?'

Allegra did not have time to push herself up and wipe away the tears – Schuyler was already on the floor beside her, kneeling and holding her hand.

'Mother, what's wrong?' she said, her voice trembling. She stroked her mother's hair and gently lifted her head into her lap; Allegra was crying uncontrollably. Was she in pain? 'Are you hurt?'

Allegra made no verbal reply, her body trembling with the force of her sobs. She gripped Schuyler's clothes and wept; her daughter didn't know what else to do but to hold her, to attempt to comfort her.

'Shh,' Schuyler said, feeling pathetic. She wanted to help, but had no idea how. 'It's okay...'

_No, my daughter, it is not._

Schuyler looked down at her mother, weeping... _I forgive you._

Allegra froze, the words echoing.

_I forgive you, Mother, _Schuyler sent again. Her mother was not perfect – an angel, perhaps, a beautiful, powerful, brilliant angel, but not perfect – and Schuyler knew that was, really, what she had asked for all those years alone. She had wanted a mother who loved her, and although sometimes stuffed up, tried her hardest to right her wrongs. All along, Schuyler realised sadly as her mother stilled, burrowing into her like a child, that was what she had. Just not the way she had pictured it. Allegra would make mistakes, and one particularly big one had cut her deep, but there was nothing to be gained from hating her, from holding it against her. She loved her mother, and her mother loved her – it was all she could ask for now. Perhaps there had been no affectionate prodding, no girl talk or nights out, no comforting hugs or bedtime stories, but... That was okay.

Their time would come, Allegra had said. And Schuyler believed it – no matter what fate seemed to say.

* * *

'Thank you for a lovely evening,' Kingsley said, the silk of his voice sliding through the door as he walked to his waiting car.

'Our pleasure,' Trinity replied amiably, as composed and as calm as ever. 'I'm sure we will be seeing much more of you now, Kingsley.'

'I'm sure.'

_Stay_, Mimi said, her voice a plea inside Kingsley's mind. _Stay with me tonight._

Kingsley held her small waist, his fingers teasing the skin just beneath the hem of her blouse. _I cannot._ They were standing on the sidewalk together, Trinity and Charles standing at the door, watchful, wary... _I'll return in the morning._ He saw her lean up, waiting for a kiss, but he evaded her and kissed her forehead instead. _Good night. _

_No..._ Mimi scowled. She didn't want him to leave, to be what seemed a million miles away (even though he was only a cab ride away). _Why won't you stay with me? _Well. Maybe she could guilt him into it.

Kingsley smiled and pulled her closer; there wasn't an inch between them now, their bodies pressed against each other in a fit that had surprised Mimi. She used to think there had only been one who could fit with her so well. _Your father is home tonight, Azrael. You need to be here._

_You need to be with me._ She wanted him to be close, to be within arm's reach. And she would not take no for an answer. Not now. _You said we could go away..._

_And we will._ Kingsley's Cheshire smile returned. _Just not tonight._

Mimi's fingers tightened on his clothes. _You're not going anywhere. I won't let you._

But his fingers easily pried hers from his shirt, and he kissed each finger passionately. _Good night, my love. Sleep well tonight._ And then Kingsley hugged her tight, inhaling the scent of her hair deep before he covered his mouth with hers. Mimi sighed into his kiss, reaching up to wind her arms around his neck – but he was gone.

She stamped her foot childishly and let out a frustrated scream. 'Damn it!'

'Baby, come inside,' Trinity called from the light of the doorway.

Mimi stomped to the door, right before she felt something prod into her bottom from her jeans. When she made it back to her room and locked the door behind her, she reached into her back pocket – and then she smiled in satisfaction.

Wrapped around a suite key from the Mandarin Oriental was a note:

_Don't bring your stupid boots. _

* * *

Allegra woke the next morning alone – no Schuyler, and certainly no Alice. She pulled herself out of the bed and walked past her daughter's room; there, in the bed, was Jack wrapped around her. Allegra smiled, and softly closed the door. She made her way to the room Dominic was staying in, and stood there at the closed door for a while. A heartbeat passed. Allegra knocked.

'Alice?' she tried, waiting. Not a word. Allegra knocked again. 'Ali – ' When she tried to reach for Alice's mind, there was nothing. Alice's mind was not merely closed to her – it was just not _there_. What was worse was that she sensed nothing, not a single thing. Alarm rising in her, Allegra wrenched the door open.

A clean floor. An immaculately made bed. Not a soul in sight. Empty.

Was this how it felt? Allegra wondered. Was this sense of desertion, of empty abandonment, of utter _rejection_, what she had put upon her sweet sister? Was this of even the same magnitude? She shut her eyes and searched the glom, scoured the mental planes for her... _Alice_, she called. _Alice, come back._

A single voice spoke, only once, and very clearly. _No._

Allegra blinked, and found the tears that had come again. _Why? Come back to me, sister. Do not leave._ The lack of reply hurt more than an answer. _Alice, please!_ she cried desperately into the glom. When her mind tried to find its other half, tried to find the missing part of her soul, Allegra felt the ferocious force of Alice pushing her away, blocking her out. Her sister, her sweet, baby sister was there, just _there, _but she kept slipping away every time Allegra reached for her. Like snatching at smoke, their connection was undeniable, but it didn't mean that Alice couldn't turn away from it a little. Alice would always be able to hear her, to feel their link; she could turn her back, but she couldn't block her ears or neutralise her soul. Allegra opened her eyes again, and step by shaky step, walked to the foot of the bed, touching the sheets. Why? _Do not leave me, Uriel, I beg..._ Allegra wanted to make her see, to make her understand... But her sister was in many ways juvenile. She could be wise and collected, and yet so childish... _Do not leave me..._

'Miss Allegra?' It was Hattie; she was standing in the doorway.

'Oh – Hattie,' Allegra said, swiftly wiping her eyes. 'What is it?'

'Miss Alice left this for you,' the maid said, holding out an envelope, sealed elegantly with traditional wax and pressed with the Anstruther-Black crest. Allegra didn't mean to snatch the envelope away so hastily, but Hattie didn't mind, only adding, 'She said thank you, but she had to go somewhere. She did not say... But she was very determined! I try to make her stay, but...'

_I assume Hattie found you in Dominic's room. I'm sorry if I caused a fuss. I could not give you an answer because I didn't have one. To be with you and Schuyler in New York, to make myself whole... I would leave another part of me behind. My life is in Europe, Allegra. At least, for now. The European Coven is not yet aware of my identity, and I must right things there before I can think about moving myself to New York. The life I have created for myself in this Expression... I cannot leave it behind as though it were nothing. I cannot abandon those who I have come to care for. Tell Schuyler I'm sorry for leaving this way._

_All my love, _

_Alice_

'Miss Allegra?' Hattie asked again, watching as Allegra's green eyes scanned the page over and over. 'What did she say?'

'She has gone home,' Allegra said quietly, her tears dropping to the paper, making the ink run. 'She's gone.'

'Who is?' Schuyler appeared at the doorway, Jack close behind; they saw the empty room, the page in Allegra's hands, the tears. 'Alice left?' she asked, stepping in, as though making sure it wasn't some trick.

Allegra had tried to hope it was – that this was all some cruel joke. But no, her immortal sister was not there.

'But – but why?' Schuyler shook her head. 'Why would she leave without saying goodbye?' Why would she leave this way, without warning, without telling anyone?

Because she's giving me a taste of my own medicine, Allegra answered inwardly. This was Alice's punishment for her, her way of throwing the pain back in her face. But she would not let her have her way. 'Pack your things, Schuyler.' She looked to Hattie. 'Get my bags, Hattie.'

'Where're you going?' Jack asked.

Allegra folded the letter and placed it back into the envelope. 'England.'

* * *

'Ooh, staying out after curfew,' Kingsley said, feeding Mimi a chocolate-covered strawberry. 'How terribly rebellious.' They were on a flight to Barbados; it was nearing the end of summer, and the last vestiges of Pacific sunshine would be waiting for them.

'Shut up.' Mimi chewed the strawberry, and as a drop of juice trickled on her lip, Kingsley swooped and licked it away.

'Charles won't be happy.' Kingsley licked his fingers of chocolate, and reached for the bottle of champagne.

Mimi raised a brow. 'Since when do you care?' Since when had he cared about getting in trouble _period_?

'I don't. It was an observation.' Kingsley handed her a flute and kissed her shoulder. 'The only thing I care about right now...' He leaned over and kissed the hollow beneath her ear. 'Is you.'

'Mm.' Mimi smiled contentedly. She wound an arm around his neck and yanked him toward her; Kingsley obliged happily, nestling his body against hers and trailing kisses and licks down her throat.

* * *

'Wh-where are you going?' Charles queried as Julius packed bags into the car. He sounded queer, distant. Weak. He had intended on breakfasting with them, but the thought seemed... Irrelevant, now. 'Allegra?'

_Alice and Dominic have left,_ Allegra sent as Schuyler slid into the car with Jack; he was not coming, but he would take them to the airport. _But I will not let her go._

Charles stared. _Why have they gone? _There was so much to do, so much to prepare for...

Allegra paused, about to get into the car. _I have hurt my sister, Charles. But I will do whatever it takes to heal her wounds._ And then Julius shut the door, and the window rolled down. 'Take care of things while we are gone. We will return with them.'

Charles managed to nod. _Come back soon, my love. I have gone too long without you._

_We have all gone too long without each other,_ Allegra agreed. For the Four to be split for such a time... She reached through the window and touched Charles' arm, smiling softly, before the window rolled up and the car drove away.

_Your tantrum has affected me deeply, my sister._ Allegra knew Alice could hear her. _But you will not have your way._ She smiled to herself, and slipped on a pair of vintage, however pristine, Chanel sunglasses. _I will find you, and so help me God... _

The car was silent, but in Allegra's mind, Alice's voice challenged her. _Come and catch me, then. _She sounded pleased, almost as though she were enjoying herself. _If you can. _There was a pause. _And you can't punish me. We're not even technically related as far as Red Blood standards go._

_You have gone unbridled and unchecked for far too long._

_That's what Hasdiel and Shamsiel are for – my parents, remember?_

_They spoil you, so much so that you grow presumptuous and reckless. Has this existence on earth changed you so much? And I made the mistake of leaving you, letting it happen. _

_Perhaps. Perhaps not. Who says I'll do what you say anyway?_ Allegra could almost see her crossing her arms and raising a haughty brow. She answered with the same spark.

_Oh, you _**will**_ answer to me, Uriel. Your cheek is amusing, but impudent._

_I'm terrified. Really._

_You're grounded._

_I'll believe that when I see it. Who are you, my mother?_

_I am responsible for you, Uriel. And I have been your mother before, and if I recall correctly, that arrangement was rather effective._

_I'm not a child! _Alice was angry. _Why do you treat me this way? Always, always, in every life, you have treated me as though I have remained five years old! Who died and gave _you_ the title of Mother Superior?_

_We are equal, my darling. And I will do anything to make sure you stay with me._

_You didn't seem to care then. Why now?_

_I will not make the same mistake twice._

_You already did._ Alice had turned serious, grave. _With your own daughter._

Allegra swallowed the urge to scream. Instead she looked at her daughter, snuggled safely against Jack. _She has forgiven me, sister. Will you not do the same?_

There was no answer, but Allegra knew her plea had not gone unheard. _Forgive me, Uriel. _

* * *

'She's unbelievable!' Alice shrieked as her father's jet landed. 'What, so it's okay to desert me and then suddenly pop out of freaking nowhere to mother me? What the hell is her problem?'

'She just wants you around, Al.' Dominic was still sitting in his seat while Alice paced the length of the cabin; he caught her hips in his hands and drew her close. 'I don't blame her.' He saw Alice's expression – frustrated, annoyed – and pressed his face against her ribcage. 'Allegra only wants you to stay close.'

'Well, sometimes we can't always have what we want,' Alice snapped.

'You can.'

'I don't have everything.' Alice knew that every inch of her being yearned to be reunited with Allegra, but her stubborn and petty habits were getting the better of her. And she had things to do back home as it was. Like dealing with the Countess of Paris and the rest of the Coven. And seeing her parents and her friends again. Alice looked out the window, the familiar grey skies dominating the view. She was home.

* * *

I should make more cliffhangers... Would that make you people react?

So, if you didn't, read my note at the top of the page. Feel my rage. Rah. And while you're feeling the rage, review.

spiffy


	22. Baby

**Note to HappyGirl: Um, those kinds of reviews are nice, but comments relating to the plot/writing/characters etc. are appreciated too :) But thank you all the same!**

**Note to l'heure de bleu: OMG I TOTALLY LOVE YOU. Thanks so much for reading, and the consistent reviews!**

* * *

'Yez?' A plump, happy-looking maidservant answered the door to the Anstruther-Black's house in Eaton Square on Upper Belgrave Street. It was a corner terrace house – the largest on a block of extremely large town houses – with a front of white Palladian columns and a distinctive blue roof. 'Can I help you?' Her face was like a chubby fairy, her voice thickly accented with Russian. The maid gawked when she saw Allegra, and she blinked furiously.

'Is Alice home?' Allegra asked. She could not sense her there, but Alice had a knack for playing hide and seek.

The maid's mouth open and shut like a fish before she shook her head. 'Ah, no, no I am sorry, Miss Alice not in today...' She looked genuinely saddened by the fact. 'Would you like me to tell her you came?'

'No, thank you, it's all right.' Allegra let the maid stare at her again, shocked by her face that so palpably similar – the same, even – as Alice's. 'Do you know when she will be back?'

'Ah, Miss Alice only come to town house on weekend,' the maid explained, smoothing her white apron across her black dress. 'She has not been here in long time, so maybe she in country.'

'The country house?' Schuyler asked, finally speaking. 'Perryton House?'

'Yes, yes, the big mansion!' The maid nodded, smiling. 'Maybe she go there for weekends lately.' She looked very wary then, closing the door a fraction. 'Are you friends of Miss Alice? Or His Grace?'

'Ah, we're friends of Alice,' Allegra said. 'Thank you – um, what was your name, sorry?'

'I am Elena,' the maid said, beaming. 'Miss Alice's friends used to come by very, very often, but Miss Alice come no more, so it very quiet now.'

* * *

'I was thinking lunch at the hotel and maybe the afternoon at Harrod's,' Allegra said as their chauffeur drove them back to Claridge's. She smoothed Schuyler's hair as she leaned against her. 'Does that sound good?'

Schuyler nodded, a small smile on her lips. She lifted her head slightly. 'What about Alice?'

Her mother laughed softly. 'Oh, I'll give her a head start.' She brought Schuyler's head back down and looked out the window thoughtfully. 'If she thinks she can get away from me, she's getting forgetful.'

Allegra's words sitting in her brain, Schuyler wondered what she meant. Forgetful? How was Alice forgetful?

They returned to the hotel, and found a table at Gordon Ramsay's at Claridge's. The atmosphere was quiet; it was still early in the lunch service. Schuyler looked down at the menu; her mother had asked for the Menu Prestige, six courses of the chef's personal favourites. Hm. Schuyler had a choice for her third course; maybe the roast rack of lamb?

The waiter glided over and looked between them. 'Ladies?' He appeared expectant. 'Have you decided on your middle course?'

'I'll have the lamb,' they said simultaneously.

Allegra smiled as she sipped her wine, and Schuyler laughed.

The waiter nodded obediently and glided off again.

A part of Schuyler was flagrantly pleased at the fact she and her mother ordered the same. She liked having things in common with Allegra; she liked knowing her mother.

'So,' Allegra said, tilting her head. 'Charles tells me he's your legal guardian now.'

Schuyler nodded. 'When Lawrence came back from Venice...'

'He contested Cordelia's will.' Her mother pressed her lips together. 'Yes, he told me...' Allegra saw the look on her daughter's face. 'We will have to amend that, of course.'

Schuyler eyes widened, and hope burst through her like firecrackers. 'You mean – '

'The Red Blood courts will grant me legal custody of you,' Allegra said, smiling. 'There's no reason for them to do otherwise. I'm your mother, and I'm not unable to take care of you. Charles won over in the first place because Lawrence was legally dead. I, however, am not.' She paused. 'Unless, you would prefer to stay with...'

'No!' Schuyler straightened and leaned on the table, shaking her head. 'No, I want to!' But wait. What would happen between her mother and Charles? Her mother had once said their destinies were intertwined – would she _and_ her mother move to the Force mansion? Or worse – would Charles move in with _them_ at Riverside Drive? What about Trinity? What would happen to the Forces?

Allegra answered as if she had spoken. 'I do not intend to renew my bond this cycle.' She stated the fact simply, unwaveringly. 'In new lives, perhaps, but for now, I do not feel I can. And there are other circumstances that would prevent such a union. The Red Bloods know Trinity as Charles' legal wife. Not his soulmate, perhaps, but his wife nonetheless. And I am not in charge of his decision to change his name. If he will retake the Van Alen name, I am not sure. It would be difficult to change everything now.'

'So what'll happen?'

'Once I have Alice safely handcuffed and bound and kept under lock and key,' Allegra said happily, 'we'll live at Riverside Drive. Charles will remain with Trinity, unless he files for divorce...'

'Would that mean he would want to – to marry you?' Schuyler felt sort of icky thinking about it. Alice had been right about that; Charles was so... _Old._ In this life, at least.

'Even if that were the case,' Allegra said, sighing, 'I wouldn't. I love Charles, but I am afraid I am not ready to leave your father's love out of the equation just yet.' She looked into her wineglass, shrugging. 'Our souls are irrevocably intertwined, but things have happened in this life that have changed everything.' Allegra reached for Schuyler's hand on the table and held it in her own tenderly.

'You mean, _I_ changed things,' Schuyler said quietly, frowning. She was an anomaly, she knew. The only one of her kind; Dimidium Cognatus. A half-blood. By all rights, she shouldn't even exist. Blue Bloods were cycled, reborn, the same soul reincarnated in new physical shells. _She_ was a new soul, and had never lived past lives. Would she die in this life, forever, or would she be reborn?

'You sound upset about that,' Allegra noted. She brushed her thumb across the backs of Schuyler's fingers. 'But you shouldn't be. I had you because I wanted you. I wanted a child with your father. Sophia predicted I would have you, but when I found out I was pregnant... I wanted nothing more than a life with you and your father.'

'Stephen Chase,' Schuyler said plainly.

'Yes.'

'Tell me about him,' Schuyler said. 'Please?'

Allegra's face was melancholy, full of dreams that had been lost, shattered by the solid truth of reality – human familiars would die, expire, and she would live on forever. 'Another time, my darling.' She dropped Schuyler's hand to the table gently and reached to cup her face. 'Just know that he would have loved you so, so much.' Allegra smiled. 'You have his eyes.'

Her eyes, her clear, ice-blue eyes were her father's. Schuyler smiled feebly. She still wanted to know, though. How had he died? Who was he, really? What she knew of her father was pitiful.

'How is your friend Oliver?' Allegra asked – and it was not the last of her questions to her daughter that day.

Schuyler happily told her; she told her mother everything, from the beginning to now. How she had met Oliver, how she had always wished she had had her there, how Cordelia used to take her to the hospital to visit until she began making the trips alone, how she had never quite fit in at Duchesne – and had thoroughly missed it when she'd attended a public school –, how Mimi had treated her when she had moved in with the Forces – everything. Allegra listened keenly, trying to absorb every detail she had missed in her hospital bed.

'I wore your dress,' Schuyler said quietly. 'To the Four Hundred Ball.'

Allegra raised her eyebrows in interest. 'Oh?' She forked a courgette chip. 'My cotillion dress?' She looked pleased indeed.

Schuyler nodded. 'The Chanel dress.'

'I wanted to give it to you myself,' her mother said wistfully, sighing. A moment later, she brightened. 'I bet it fit perfectly, though.'

Schuyler felt too flattered. 'Well... Yeah, it did.'

'You must have looked stunning.'

'Not-not really...' Here was the most beautiful woman in the whole world, and she was calling _her_ stunning. Schuyler began to feel embarrassed.

Allegra laughed softly. 'You're not used to flattery, are you baby?'

'...No.' Schuyler squirmed in delight at being called baby. A little voice inside her head let out a quiet, 'Yay.' Darling had been nice, but baby was just so... Natural-sounding. Allegra called her _baby_.

* * *

Well, Kingsley certainly knew how to please her _outside_ a bed, Mimi mused gleefully. Bathing in a private hydro pool surrounded by candles, rose petals and the scent of vanilla and nutmeg, she'd just had a cleansing exfoliation, her whole body afterwards layered soothingly with body butter, and then she lay on her stomach enjoying the Sandy Lane Resort's finest masseur prod and rub and weave the last remaining vestiges of tension or ache in her body. The treatment concluded with a scalp massage using their exclusive formula of hair oil, and the rest of the day in the hydro pool, feasting on the freshest fruit on the island and fruit punch.

Kingsley, of course, relaxed languidly opposite her. He'd had the exact same treatment – it _was _a couple's massage package, after all. The Romance Ritual. A cheesy name, Mimi had thought snidely, but oh.

Cheesy though the name might be, the treatment itself was _superb_. Tomorrow she planned to try their detoxification treatment, and then their Rose Hydrating Cocoon, their Deep Marine Facial, and a final mani-pedi. By the time she was done, Mimi planned to make sure that Kingsley had to be physically _dragged_ from her; she would be irresistible. He would not want to be an inch away from her. They might not leave the bed for _days_. Ooh, she shivered at the thought, but her fantasy was interrupted by a very real Kingsley – who had wordlessly slithered through the pool – caressing her knee beneath the water.

'You're insatiable,' she quipped, sighing languorously and sliding deeper in the pool so that her chin dipped into the water.

Kingsley grinned lazily. 'Most women, I imagine, would be appreciative of that fact.' They'd been in Barbados not two days, and she was already driving him insane. With what, however, was a whole other matter. She made him want to tear her clothes off, and yet at the same time, she made him want to snuggle against her like a kitten. It was maddening. And so very pleasant.

Mimi feigned injury. 'And I'm most women?'

'Sweetheart, if you're most women, I'm a fairy princess.' Kingsley felt for her ankle in the water and wrapped his fingers around it, gently tugging. 'Get over here,' he growled.

* * *

Schuyler held up a dress her mother had bought for her; a pure silk, navy blue Halston Heritage swing dress. It was one-shouldered, and in the dressing room at Harrod's, had draped over Schuyler sultrily and elegantly. The dress was one of many items that her mother had purchased for her. Schuyler had been apprehensive at first; she was sure a jillion mothers took their daughters shopping and watched as they tried on outfit after outfit, but she was fairly new to the experience, and compared to her mother, she felt insignificant, unnoticeable. And it was fine that way, until Allegra demanded she come out of the dressing room to show her.

And Schuyler had stood awkwardly as her mother sat in one of the armchairs, turning her daughter around by the hips, checking over her in affection and concern.

'Maybe the length is a little short...' Allegra had said, pressing her lips together and fingering the hem. 'Are you okay with it?'

Schuyler had nodded numbly. She liked what she saw in the mirror, but was unsure how to act – suddenly unsure how to be herself around her mother. Thankfully, Schuyler felt the awkwardness ebb away as the day passed, easing into this odd form of mother-daughter activity, this strange new relationship. Even though Allegra had only really come into her life several months ago, by the end of the day, she might have been there the whole time. Schuyler relished every single second of it; the poking and prodding into the dressing room, the way Allegra put an arm around her as they walked or sometimes holding her hand instead, the spontaneous touch to the hair to smooth it or brush it away from her face. She felt sure, safe with her mother. So much more content – complete. They had missed so much together, but it didn't seem to matter anymore.

They visited the Food Hall – and had gorged themselves silly on a manner of delicacies and delights, not to mention the chocolates and truffles they had tried. Afternoon tea in the hotel concluded their day; tomorrow, they would drive to Perryton House, and Schuyler wasn't quite sure what to expect. She was imagining her mother wrestling a kicking and screaming Alice to the floor, before she bound her little sister up in rope and hauled her into the car. Schuyler shook the image away, trying not to laugh. It was surely not what would happen.

Would it?

Schuyler looked out the window; raindrops spattered and rolled down the glass, and the outside was already drenched, umbrellas sparsely dotting the sidewalk. The day was initially overcast, but on the drive back to the hotel the clouds gathered and began to shower London. She put a hand against the cold glass and watched as her breath fogged. While the outside world rained – while three Gates remained, and the Blue Blood world teetered on a fine line – she was warm, and safe. With her mother. She bounced onto the comfy furniture and reached for the small pile of magazines on the coffee table. She found celebrity tabloids like _Hello!_ and _OK!_, but what she uncovered beneath them was what grabbed her. Schuyler came across Alice – on the front cover of a magazine called Tatler. The issue was a few months old. The cover was of her shoulders upwards, amidst lush, high-growing green grass speckled with wildflowers, and she was smiling in a way that both made her look transcendently joyful – beaming without any cheesy grin whatsoever – and also like she had a delicious secret to tell. Alice's face was enigmatic, but gorgeous in every sense of the word. In bold white lettering at the bottom was her name, Lady Alice Anstruther-Black, and the words, 'Who says you can't have everything?'

Intrigued, Schuyler looked into the index and flipped to Alice's feature and began to read 'The Coolest. Person. EVER.' by Jenna Hopkins-Bradley.

_She's the only daughter of the coolest Duke and Duchess in the land, and at the tender age of sixteen, Lady Alice Anstruther-Black is not only already showing signs of the infamous Anstruther-Black touch and charm, but she's the de facto queen of the world. Forget about being the sweetest pea in the pod – by all accounts, Alice is the sweetest pea in the field, and with her enviable gold locks and fairytale good-looks, she's winning not only the hearts of the media, but the hearts of the public too. Born in London and raised at the family home in Hampshire, with bouts at the estates in Scotland, France, Spain and Italy, Alice is delightfully unassuming, sometimes even soft spoken. _

_We're at the house at Eaton Square where she spends her London weekends away from school. 'I find it odd,' she says, tucking white-gold strands behind her ear and looking down at her unassumingly Jimmy Choo clad feet, 'when people interview me and they've already envisioned how I am; they've already created a character for me before I've said a word.' And it's true – most people who meet her imagine a haughty, utterly self-absorbed princess, and much like me, are, to say the least, shocked. Shocked when we meet this impossibly gorgeous and beautiful girl who happens to be maybe the funniest and sweetest girl we've ever met, with just the right dash of snark and feistiness. She's the designer darling too, full of Brit eccentricity and understated glamour; her latest move was to spearhead the new Spring/Summer Burberry campaign, relaunching the label to status awesome, refreshing the and attracting the new breed of Sloanes to the once-dwindling, once-antiquated and once-overrated name of Burberry. _

_A Lower Sixther at Calverton Hall, this dazzling English rose is no slacker in the academia either. She took twelve GCSE's, received eleven A*s grades and one A, and is now currently pursuing ten A-level subjects, including English Literature, Classics, History of Art, Economics, and Maths. She loves to read, and says some of her favourite places in the world are the private libraries and archives at the most beautiful country house in the world, Perryton House. 'I'm a bit of a bookworm,' she admits, giggling. But Alice is no introverted recluse. _

_Her sixteenth birthday was held at the Valmont Club, co-owned by godfather (and F1 mogul) Lord Harry Pewton-Willis, and it was, by all accounts, __**the **__hottest bash of the year. Hiring out the entire venue (not even an option under normal circumstances), it's rumoured at least one thousand magnums of bubbly flowed throughout the night. Wills and Harry were in attendance, along with the Casiraghi siblings, the three divine Delevigne sisters, Gabriella Calthorpe, and a plethora of other gorgeous hoity toits, aristos and naughty royals._

_A maid knocks on the doorway to the airy, tastefully appointed living room of the town house, and brings in a sumptuous selection of pastries and cakes for tea. I hear Alice loves her chocolate, and I spot a slice of a simply irresistible death by chocolate cake on the tiers. She eyes it pensively, right before she points to it, the maid serves it to her on a gorgeous Wedgwood – and offers it to me. Oh, the lovely thing gets more adorable by the second. _

'Everything okay?' Allegra emerged from the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed in slacks and a cashmere sweater.

'Yup.' Schuyler looked up; her mother came down to sit beside her as she put the magazine down, crawled over, and nestled in her embrace. She smelled like a flowers on a fresh, cool morning. 'Everything's fine.' Allegra rubbed her back, and Schuyler was filled with a warmth that made her want to hold her mother and sleep forever.

'Good.'

Schuyler felt her mother's fingers slip into her hair again, massaging, soothing. She closed her eyes. 'Mom?'

'Hm?'

'I love you.'

Allegra's arms tightened around her as she pressed her lips to the crown of her head. 'And I love you, my darling.'

* * *

Two days after Mimi returned from a mysterious three-day getaway (she refused to give any details to Charles and Trinity), Jack Force was reading a book in the living room when his sister walked past in a shock-red Missoni dress.

As if she would ever spend Friday night cooped up at home.

Mimi headed for the door, ignoring Jack's presence entirely – just because she was going to be civil, it didn't mean she _had_ to talk to him – until he spoke.

'You look nice.' Jack peered at her over the top of his book.

At the sound of his address, Mimi automatically turned to look at him. 'Thanks,' she said flatly. She fingered her clutch; she had been rendered slightly uncomfortable and hesitant at his casual tone and relaxed demeanour. Mimi straightened. 'Are you going to stay here all night?' Her sarcasm was a good sign; she was being normal around him, at least.

Jack smiled, his green eyes twinkling as he shut his book and crossed his legs, his right ankle resting on his left knee. 'Yeah, I think so.'

Mimi nodded. 'Well.' She tucked her clutch beneath her arm and flipped her hair over her shoulder as she turned to leave. 'Enjoy... your book.' Mimi cleared her throat, and as she took a step, was surprised when Jack pressed his cheek affectionately against hers in goodbye.

'Have fun tonight.' Jack walked away toward the stairs.

A part of Mimi's resolve melted. 'Why don't you come with me?' she asked before she could catch herself.

Jack turned, standing on the first step. 'Not really up for a night out.' He smiled warmly. 'Thanks for the offer, though.' Sighing, he turned to go, when he added, 'Good night, Mimi.'

Mimi watched him climb the stairs, and even when she couldn't see him anymore, she remained standing there. She wanted to be nice to her brother, to let him in again, but... 'Good night,' she said softly, even though no one was there. She knew he could hear her.

* * *

I was dying to put Schuyler in a typical mother-daughter bonding scenario; I always imagined her to enjoy it, albeit be a little awkward and shy! What did you all think?

spiffy


	23. The Only Painkiller I Know

**THANK YOU ALL WHO RESPONDED TO MY PLEA! MUCH LOVE AND A VIRTUAL SLICE OF CARAMEL POPCORN SANDWICHES WITH BUTTERSCOTCH PARFAIT! (Yes, that is a real dessert made by one of Australia's foremost and respected pastry chefs. And by God, it's amazing.)**

**KEEP READING AND REVIEWING! :D**

* * *

Alice Anstruther-Black began her school day in the usual fashion: her alarm – also known as her morning-person boyfriend, Dominic Stoneleigh – woke her at 6:30, but fell asleep again and had to be roused ten minutes later; a cup of espresso and a shower, before she put on her uniform – a tailored Thomas Pink blouse, a short version of the school skirt, the Sixth Form tie, and for today, a pair of Marc Jacobs heels. Because it was cold, she was also wearing the Calverton's dark blue jumper, stockings, and one of Dominic's thick cashmere scarves.

Only she could make a school uniform look so good. Sexy without slutty, stylish without overstatement. Alice had revolutionised the concept of uniform when she had arrived at Calverton – even as a First Former, she left the Sixth Form boys' tongues wagging, and girls had been quick to catch on to her style – though no one could quite pull it off as she could.

Today, she left her hair out so it billowed gently around her face and walked into the central room in the Rockwell boarding house's second floor; it had a fair-sized kitchen, and armchairs and sofas were gathered around a 50 inch flat screen television. On the first floor of the house was a communal study area, its walls lined with reference books and gleaming white Mac computers. The ground floor was the common room, with another television – only this one had a PS3 and an Xbox 360 hooked up to it, and was 82 inches –, a pool table, and a heap of armchairs and bean bags.

Rockwell House, along with a couple of other boarding houses at Calverton Hall, was an exclusively Sixth Form boarding house. It was also exclusively Blue Blood. There were only seven students sharing the house; three girls and four boys. It was home to the leaders of Europe's Blue Blooded teenage It crowd; Alice and Dominic, as well as Lara Rochester, Philippa Sutherland-Jones, Julian Ogilvy, Alexander Lascelles, and Nathaniel von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth.

'Lara!' Alice wrapped Dominic's sky blue scarf around her securely. She loved having his scent so close to her. 'Hurry up, you minger!'

Dominic came out of the boys' quarters, wearing his usual Gieves & Hawkes button-down, his honorary rugby Captain's blazer – a white-piped, black blazer with his captaincy and championship years embroidered beneath the Calverton insignia on the left breast, with gold buttons – a dark blue Calverton jumper identical to Alice's, and a white cashmere scarf. On his feet were polished black made-to-measure John Lobb Amiels, and slung over his shoulder was his customary brown leather satchel. He put a hand on Alice's back and kissed her cheek.

'You ready?'

Alice glanced at the vintage Cartier on her wrist. 'Waiting for Lars.' She looked over her shoulder at the door to the girls' quarters. 'Lara! We're going without you!' Alice threatened. Breakfast ended at ten past eight – it was nearly seven thirty, and Alice wanted ample time to satiate her appetite.

'Coming!' A chestnut-haired beauty with dark grey eyes stumbled out the door in a pair of satin-covered Pedro Garcia heels. She swished her dark hair over her shoulder and slipped her arm through Alice's, and baulked at her friend's expression. 'My hair-dryer wasn't working!' she defended.

Dominic laughed, and holding Alice's hand in his, walked to the stairs. 'Yeah, and my hair straightener was overheating.'

Lara's jaw dropped. 'You use a hair straightener?' She knew the good-looking bastard wasn't born with perfect hair!

But Alice rolled her eyes and tugged Lara along. 'He's joking, Lara.'

They stepped out into the chilly air and walked down the path, past the large, glassy pond, toward the cloisters of the Humanities Block; a gorgeous neo-Gothic building made of sandstone. Dominic breathed out and saw it fog before his eyes; he felt Alice press against him for warmth, and the arm around her shoulders tightened.

'You guys better not disappear on me again,' Lara said, huddling against Alice. It had been an abysmally boring time without them. The social scene in London – or anywhere else, for that matter – had been... Weird, without them. As Alice's virtual second-in-command, she had imagined Alice's life to be perfect – but as Lara assumed the role of substitute It girl (because everyone knew Alice was beyond irreplaceable), she shirked from it all. There were appearances to keep up (or at least decide which ones to), people to mingle and laugh with, and trends to uphold or reject (_introducing_ anything was strictly Alice's privilege, and no one would have caught on to it if Lara had tried) – and that had only been the surface. Alice had made being the top of the ladder look _easy_. Then again, Lara thought, that was the same for everything she did. Alice made _everything_ look easy. But Lara saw the look Alice shared with Dominic. 'What?' she asked. 'Oh God,' she realised, 'you're leaving again, aren't you?'

Alice smiled apologetically. She and Dominic had been back at school little more than a week. 'Maybe.' She had loved her life, and to be back was so comforting... Alice suspected Allegra was already in England, and was biding her time. Her big sister had always loved surprising her – and not always in a good way.

'Oh – oh, you two suck.' Lara clung to her friend steadfastly, as though it would keep her from leaving.

The three of them walked through the cloisters, their shoes against the centuries-old stone floor. Students headed in the opposite direction waved gaily, nervously, or just nodded in respectful greeting. They passed through an outdoor corridor to arrive at the Quad, before they turned left and headed to the Earl's Hall – Calverton's dining hall.

The dining hall was warm and a little bit stuffy, but not unpleasantly so. The smell of frying bacon and sausages filled the students' nostrils as they walked through the doors. They could hear the clatter of cutlery and the scrape of chairs, but above all, the hum of chatter. They walked to their usual table in the middle cut of the hall, but near the wall opposite the servery, where a handsome, sandy-haired boy was already eating.

'What've we got today, Jules?' Alice asked as she sat down opposite him at the circular table, hanging her Birkin on the back of her chair.

* * *

At ten o'clock, Allegra van Alen and her daughter were led to the second floor study of the Duke of St. Ives.

'Your Grace.' Percy, the Anstruther-Black's head butler knocked carefully on the door. 'You have – ' The door opened a fraction, and a face that Schuyler did not recognise appeared in the space. 'Ah, Lord Ponsonby, if you would be so kind to tell His Grace of his visitors.'

The man on the other side of the door – his face slightly bony – smiled and nodded, before he looked to where Schuyler and her mother stood. He blinked. 'Sebas-'

Schuyler heard footsteps, and the reason Lord Ponsonby seemed to cut himself off appeared; the door opened fully and she saw the Duke himself standing there. 'Who – ' His sentence went unfinished, and his eyes grew wide, and he fell to one knee. 'Gabrielle,' he murmured. He lifted his head. 'It is you. I felt your presence, but I thought it might be... I was not sure, forgive me for not seeing to you sooner...'

Allegra smiled as she put a hand on the Duke's shoulder. 'Shamsiel, my dear friend, rise. It is not necessary.'

The Duke kissed Allegra's hand reverently, and stood before them, his regal bearing humbled. 'Please, come in.' He stepped aside and ushered the pair of them into his study, smiling warmly as Allegra's daughter passed. 'Hello, Schuyler,' he said. 'How are you?'

'Good, thank you.' The room was lined in ceiling-high bookcases, filled with ancient, leather-bound books and trinkets from centuries past. The room belonged to another era, another time. The windows were draped in heavy velvet, and a fire was crackling in a grand fireplace opposite the Duke's desk; the air smelled faintly of aged parchment and musk. Lord Ponsonby nodded to her in acknowledgement, but he left the room. Behind the desk, on the wall, was the Duke's painted portrait – but he was dressed in uniform, and it certainly wasn't the uniform of a modern-day soldier. His coat was of striking blue with gold embroidery and gold buttons, and he wore white trousers, standing atop a rock; he had a hand on the hilt of his court sword, and even Schuyler could see he was as dashing then as he was now. Tearing her eyes away, she followed her mother onto one of the sofas – when someone else in the room stood up to attention.

It was the Duchess.

'Gabrielle...' she whispered.

'It has been a while, Hasdiel. I trust you have been keeping my sister very well.'

'She is my child,' the Duchess said, smiling softly. 'She... She has been everything, for myself and my husband.' She came to sit down opposite them, across the coffee table, her wide green eyes filled with melancholy. 'There was some word of what happened to you, but...'

'That is a very long story,' Allegra laughed. She put an unconscious arm around Schuyler's shoulders.

'Alice tells me you go by the name Allegra now.' The Duke was leaning on the edge of his desk. 'Why have you come?'

Allegra's smile was slow and knowing. 'You know why.'

The Duke shared a sad, longing look with his wife.

'I have not come to take her away from you,' Allegra said. 'But I will not be parted from my sister any longer.'

Her Grace sighed, laughing weakly. 'I knew the day you would come for her would happen, but it does not make anything easier.' The Duchess' beautiful face was full of a sorrow that Schuyler wanted to cry for.

'She must return,' the Duke warned. 'The Coven will – the Coven must have her as Regis. They will accept no other once she formally reveals her identity to them.'

Allegra lifted a curious brow. 'Are they not yet aware?'

'You know we have not had good contact with your tribe for centuries.' His Grace's eyes were hooded. 'Only very recently have we begun to make parley. And very minimally, at that.'

'Ah, well, yes...' Allegra knew that the European and the New York branches had been estranged since the decision to find a new home in the New World. The only time they ever came together – barely – was for the Four Hundred Ball. The European Coven had practically disowned them, cut them off, avoided contact if at all possible. 'I suppose our communication must be reviewed. Our kind cannot continue to be separated like this. Living apart is one thing, but if we are to survive, we must band together again.'

The Duchess nodded in agreement. 'We have arranged for Alice to see the Conclave and the Elders next Monday.' She turned to Schuyler, smiling kindly, although her eyes were still sad. 'And you, my dear. How are you? My daughter has become quite attached to you, and I do not think that it is because of your resemblance to your mother.'

'I'm well, thank you.' Schuyler nervously fiddled with her clothes; she was wearing something her mother had bought, a Chloe double-layered Jersey dress. It was chilly, so she was wearing tights and one of her mother's cashmere sweaters; the very threads were imbued with the scent of roses.

Allegra, for one, was very happy with what her daughter was wearing. 'You don't know just how pretty you are, do you?' she had murmured when they were walking through Harrod's. She smiled at the memory, and then looked to the Duchess. 'Where is she?' She didn't sense her sister here.

'Ah, at school.' Her Grace smiled apologetically. 'That was what she wanted.'

'Alice wanted to go back to school, as normal,' the Duke told them. 'She spent a day or two here with us before she went back.'

* * *

Alice was eating a slice of the housemistress' homemade treacle tart, smothered in clotted cream, in her room at Rockwell House. It was her free period; she was doing her Physics homework, and the routine was almost relaxing; the repeated motions of formulas and equations that had set-in-stone rules a nice change from the rollercoaster she'd been having lately. Especially now that she had an older sister again. Especially when that older sister enjoyed mothering her as much as her own mother did. Especially now that their memories and souls had interlinked in a way they had not in hundreds of years, and, knowing the pain of separation already, it hurt more than ever before to be parted.

She remembered how it had been, in all the lives past. Gabrielle had been her mother once or twice in their Expressions – oh, how her sister had _loved_ that, Alice thought with a smile – but even in lives when they had only been sisters, Gabrielle had always been very protective, very nurturing and mother-like. Because they had no real mother or father, Alice knew Allegra always felt responsible for her; in every way. As though they had been orphaned, Gabrielle had taken it in her stride to raise Uriel – both as a sister and a daughter, only because they had no mother. Alice wondered sometimes if her sister had ever wanted someone to nurse her that way. Oh, how many times had Gabrielle slipped into her room at night to hold onto her – the way a child might have with her mother. How many times had Gabrielle rested her head in her lap, cried or slept in Uriel's embrace instead of the other way around?

_I miss you._

The voice was loud and clear, and yet no one was in the room. But Alice knew where it had come from, and whom the voice belonged to. They were twins, just not the way other vampires were. Alice had tried to ignore it, but she had been feeling an odd ache in her heart lately, and it had begun, she knew, the moment Allegra knew she had left. It was so familiar, and yet so foreign to be able to feel her sister so palpably, feel what her sister felt, see what her sister saw, know what Allegra knew. When their souls had reconnected, joined again after being away for so long, Alice knew that all the little nuances and pangs of emotion that had come so unexpectedly as she grew up were Allegra's, and not hers. And they were nothing to what stirred inside her now. She had felt odd moments of pensiveness, or melancholy and sadness, and sometimes anger and rage and regret. But since their meeting, that day when she had rushed into limbo and saw her sister face to face, that morning when Allegra's very soul had reached out and twined with hers, the vivacity and intensity of the emotions she felt from her sister shocked her, rocked her.

_I miss you too_, Alice found herself thinking.

_Why did you leave me?_

Alice frowned. _Why did you leave me?_

_I never imagined it would make you feel – make _us_ feel – the way we did. I thought that it was best for our kind. _Allegra sounded mournful. _If I had not left you, I would not have had Schuyler. If I had not left, our kind would not have the same power in this world. But I understand it caused you pain; it hurt me more than you know to leave you. I wish it did not hurt you so. Darling, forgive me for my mistakes, I beg. I cannot bear this any longer._

Alice wiped the tear from the corner of her eye with her fingers. _I... I..._

_Come back to me, my sister. Do not let us be divided this way. We have been apart too long already._

Before she could think, Alice felt a rush, a tidal wave and ensuing flood of sadness and longing, of hurt and loneliness and alienation. Of incompletion. As though her soul had been ripped to pieces. She saw Allegra – no, Rose – whimpering and sobbing in Myles' arms on the Mayflower, shaking uncontrollably and weeping ceaselessly. She let out a ragged and pained cry, a howl of sorrow. It was like someone had died – but Alice knew better. Myles' stroked her hair and held her tenderly, but nothing would ease the pain. Nothing would stem the feeling of their separation. For days, as Evangeline, or months even, she had not said a word. She had barely come out of her room, hardly eaten a crumb, not a drop of blood. She had wanted to die, and the only comfort she found had been with Dominic – or Nathaniel. And now she knew Gabrielle had felt it too.

Alice was crying, her sheet of equations smudged and wet with her tears. She began to tremble, and her sobbing became so violent she doubled over and let out a scream. The sound was riddled with ache and remorse, with pain and anguish. She fell to the floor, curling up weakly and sobbing harder, every moment of emotion becoming more vivid, more poignant with every passing second. Distantly, as though miles away, she heard a door blast open, and suddenly she was being gathered up and rocked, gently, tenderly held in an embrace that had soothed her, comforted and consoled her, so many times before.

'Hush,' his voice whispered lovingly, his breath gentle against her face. 'Sweetheart...' He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering there. 'Shhh... Don't cry. It's all right... Shh...'

Alice nestled further into his arms, holding on like he was going to be dragged away. She muffled her cries into his chest.

_Shh..._ two voices said. _Hush, my darling._ She knew both of them, loved both of them. _All will be well._

And then Allegra's voice alone spoke inside her head. _Hush now, Little One. I will be with you soon._

Dominic stroked her brow and kissed her there. _Oh, my love... Of all the pain in the world, yours is the only one I cannot take away._ He rubbed her back, felt the fine tremors shaking through her. Dominic tried his hardest to heal her heart, but this was a wound that was beyond his help. All his power allowed was the softening of the pain, the easing of the sorrow. But this was a hurt he could not heal. He cursed himself, despite the fact that it wasn't his fault; it wasn't his fault that his love was so hurt, and it wasn't his fault he couldn't take the hurt away. But, oh, he would have given the world to be able to. _Hush, my love. Do not cry. _He felt her pain in his heart. Felt her sorrow in his soul. Dominic pulled her ever closer and brushed her tears away with his thumb. She had begun to quiet, to ease her violent sobbing. _Sweetheart..._

* * *

'Are you okay?' Lara asked. She, Alice and Dominic were walking down the stairs, bags slung over their shoulders, on their way to the front of the main building to be picked up, or to drive home, in Dominic and Alice's case. And she saw the slight redness in her friend's eyes that she was trying to hide.

Alice sighed, smiling as she slipped on a pair of Ray Ban aviators. 'Spectacular.' She made quiet sound of contentment as Dominic wound an arm around her and kissed the crown of her head, sliding her own arm across his waist. But Alice noticed Lara's frown. 'Don't worry, babe.' She gave her friend a reassuring smile. 'I'm fine, really.'

Lara nodded. 'If you say so.' She eyed what Alice was wearing with the slightest touch of envy; hip-hugging acid-washed Citizens of Humanity jeans, a white, form-fitting Ralph Lauren jumper, and a pair of five inch Brian Artwood Dickenson leather boots. Alice's long, blonde hair looked insanely lush today – like every other day. And with the sunglasses, you couldn't even see her eyes that were ever so slightly rimmed with red from crying, although Alice denied being upset. God, she was gorgeous, Lara thought, annoyed for a moment before she withdrew the thought in shame. Alice was her best friend – and while Lara was perfectly happy with the way things were, sometimes it got to her just how much more beautiful Alice was, just how impossibly pretty she always looked, in rubbish or couture. Cassiel, Beholder of Tears indeed! She was too pretty for her rank with looks like that, but Lara shook the thought out of her head.

They walked out, down to and through the Quad, into the entrance hall of the main building and out onto the front steps. Moving down, they sat in their customary position; Dominic sat a step higher so that he enfolded Alice in his arms and she sat between his legs and Lara was beside her. Julian Ogilvy came to sit beside them, along with Alexander Lascelles; Lara shifted slightly at the latter's presence. They laughed when they saw their friend and fellow Blue Blood Philippa – Pippa – arguing with her Red Blood familiar and boyfriend, who appealed to her helplessly, kissing her hands and looking very, very upset that the object of his affections was mad at him.

Alice rubbed her cheek on Dominic's button-down, sliding between his open leather jacket. He smelled good, like soap and sandalwood, with an almost fresh, earthy scent, and the slightest a hint of musk. She moved even closer to him, and his arms reacted, squeezing her affectionately. She felt him nip her ear, felt his lips work gently downward to her collarbone, and she sighed in pleasure.

'Hey, Al,' Julian said just as she closed her eyes to let Dominic's lips wander, 'Your mum's here.'

'What?' Alice cracked open a lid, and through her aviators, saw her mother's sleek Mercedes CL65 AMG, right before her mother, a slim, extremely pretty woman, stepped out. 'Oh.' Her mother was society's loveliest lady, and had long held a high rank in the Coven. Her father was a member of the Conclave, and both her parents were high-ranking Venators – or once had been, she knew. She pushed herself up, but not enough so that she was out of Dominic's embrace. Her mother smiled and waved at her.

And then Alice felt it – felt that undeniable, yearning presence. At that moment, the Mercedes' back door opened, and suddenly Alice was looking back at her own face; the same mouth, the same cheekbones, the same nose, the same shaped eyes but instead of sapphire, she saw emerald…

She was up and across the lawn in less than an instant; before anyone could tell where she had gone, she had hurled herself against her sister, and the two of them were that way for long moments.

_Alice, _Allegra sent, clutching her sister and holding her tightly, closing her eyes against Alice's hair. _Little One_.

Schuyler saw the intensity their arms held each other with – as though they were melded onto each other. She smiled, feeling a strange sense of peace, of solace. Like Allegra's and Alice's relief had spread into her own heart; Schuyler was happy to see them like this.

'Don't you ever, _ever_ run away like that again,' Allegra whispered fiercely, and yet, so tenderly.

Alice nodded like an obedient child, like one who had been lost at a department store and was now found. She felt Allegra's tears on her shoulder, and she held onto her tighter. 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I just... I just couldn't say no to you – but I couldn't say yes, and – I...' Her words were nearly blubbers, remembering what she had felt less than an hour earlier, remembering how her sister had felt all those years ago... Alice tried to look up into Allegra's face, but she was being held so tight she could barely move. Like Allegra couldn't bear to be an inch further away.

Sometimes, it was not Uriel who was the child, but Gabrielle.

Alice managed to wriggle, putting her hands on her sister's shoulders to say she wasn't pulling away to leave; Allegra released her reluctantly, painfully slowly, but still remained close, and then Alice turned to Schuyler. 'I'm sorry for leaving like that,' she said to her. 'Bit abrupt and everything.' They hugged, and Schuyler spoke.

'It's okay,' she said, breathing in the scent of jasmine and honeysuckle tipped with fresh dew and rain. Schuyler realised that when Alice or her mother hugged her, something inside her seemed to never want to let go, to want to hold those precious moments of light forever. Gabrielle and Uriel may have taken on the form of Blue Bloods, but their pure, heavenly nature was undeniable, even on earth. There was something about them that Schuyler couldn't quite place, although it was something pleasant, so she didn't mind.

'How's our reunion going?' Dominic joked, walking toward them. He was met with Allegra's gaze, which was at first affectionate, but then suddenly turned stern.

_If you let her get away from me again Raphael, you will not be so joyful._

_Now, now, don't go making threats_, Dominic sent back, ignoring Allegra's stern expression and kissing her cheek in greeting. _I will follow her wherever she goes; what is between the both of you is something I cannot always interfere in._

Allegra frowned. _But you knew she shouldn't be away from me – that I should not be parted from her. That is why you let her follow the fallen on earth. _

_You of all should know that there are some things we cannot help._ He looked at Allegra softly, frowning in a friendly sort of way. _There are things in this new life that we cannot leave so quickly. Things that have made circumstances complicated. You are well-versed in the unforeseen, are you not? _Dominic's tone was light, but still very knowing. As though he'd known all along.

_Raphael..._ Allegra warned, but she was smiling.

'Uh...' Lara, Julian and Alexander were standing a few feet away, looking completely mystified and in awe. Lara met Alice's eyes as she turned. 'Care to share?'

* * *

**So I realise Schuyler plays a minor role, but I may have said it before: she'll come into her own. And there _will _be Sky and Jack fluff just to satisfy those little urges for hits of fanfic sugar in the future!**

**REMEMBER, REVIEW!**

**spiffy**


	24. Us Children

**So I know it looks like I haven't been listening to the demands for more Sky and Jack fluff, but I _have. _However, it does not mean I can necessarily meet them. These chapters have been written for a long time now, and to magically add Jack in somewhere would be very troublesome indeed. **

**But have no fear, he will return before the story ends :) **

* * *

As Allegra and Alice sat side by side in the car, Schuyler – sitting in the front seat of Dominic's new Range Rover, an upgrade to the 2010 model, he told her, from his last one – could see them in the mirror. From what she could see, they were just about identical; Schuyler noticed that while her mother was incredibly youthful, there was something about Alice that made her appear just that much younger. Allegra seemed to have a collected air, a poise that stemmed from what appeared to be experience, while Alice was still very much like a child, very much like the sixteen year old that she was; vivacious and coltish, bubbly and fickle. But, Schuyler saw, even their hair, long and lush and the same molten gold, still glinted in the sunlight the same way. When they frowned, there were two fine wrinkles between their brows in the exact same place, and Schuyler guessed that if she took a ruler, those wrinkles would be the same length too. She thought she might feel some sort of envy for their closeness, and was surprised that she felt none. Alice could not replace her in Allegra's heart, and Schuyler could not replace Alice. They were like separate parts of a machine – both integral, but without either, Allegra somehow was not right. Schuyler was her daughter, in the very real Red Blood sense as well as the vampire way. Alice was her sister, her twin, the other half of the light that they had been borne of. Daughters of the Light indeed.

Alice looked out the window at her beloved countryside. As a child, her father used to take her walking across green, wildflower-filled fields around the estate, and sometimes she still went alone, but mostly she went with Dominic. There was a particularly beautiful patch near the western estuary, where water cascaded in and out, and an ancient tree provided ample shade if they were to tire of sunshine (highly unlikely, but still). The grass was long, but soft to the touch, and was sprinkled generously in wild blossoms. But Alice loved any bit of the English countryside. She turned away when she felt Allegra touching her hair, sliding her fingers through and stroking her nape. Alice squirmed slightly; it tickled, but in a pleasant way that made her spine tingle.

Her sister still knew all her weak spots – the ones susceptible to tickling, and also the ones that made her shiver and relax in pleasant succession, a cacophony of tingle and soothe. It was like when some children cried, and liked to have their backs rubbed, or hair stroked. When Evangeline was frustrated, Rose knew to kiss her forehead, to run her fingers through her hair. When she cried, Rose knew Evangeline liked to have the back of her neck rubbed in gentle circles. But it did not go one way. Even now, without ever having seen her sister that way, Alice knew that if Allegra was ever afraid, it soothed her to gently run her fingertips over her back, over her shoulder blades, and to be whispered to in hush to sleep. It was strange how she knew, having never seen Allegra afraid before, but Alice _knew_.

It was like knowing herself. It was like having lived long enough to know herself so well therefore she knew her sister.

'Where's Jack?' Dominic asked, striking conversation as Schuyler gazed at her mother and Alice longingly. He had asked Rupert – who had always stealthily been nearby – to stay behind again, but his Conduit was sharper than that. Instead, Rupert had headed home to pack his things.

He staunchly refused to be left behind again.

Schuyler bit her lip, almost wanting to slide into their embrace. She liked being held by them, and the relaxed hold between the two sisters looked nice. Both of them had their eyes closed; Allegra's arm was slung over Alice, and Alice was leaning her head on her sister's shoulder. 'New York.' Schuyler kept looking, though. She knew they were talking. Wished she could hear them. It wasn't envy, exactly. Just a kind of feeling that she was the odd one out because she had no memories to share, no old lives, no _history_. She was a newborn. And Alice and her mother had been alive since... Well, whenever that was. 'Hey Alice...'

Alice opened an eye. 'Hm?'

'Can my mom hear everything in your head?' Schuyler twisted to face her in the backseat. 'Like... Can you two hear each other think?' Considering what made them sisters – twins – did they have one, unitary consciousness? Were their minds two parts of a whole? Or were they simply mind-reading? 'Are you just using the glom?'

'There is a place in this universe,' Allegra said, opening her green eyes, 'that is the place between us. It is the consciousness that exists between – no, that is part of the both of us; it is not a physical place.' It was a part of the universe only three beings could ever, ever enter: Uriel, Gabrielle, and ultimately, their Creator. It was the space in the universe that they were _truly_ whole, were they were again one, a place that somehow existed in Paradise as well.

'Getting your mother out of my head is like telling the left side of my brain to stop connecting with the right.' Alice said pointedly. She smiled at Schuyler, who stifled a laugh, imagining her mother poking into each and every one of Alice's thoughts as she pleased, and then Alice retaliating and attempting to close her mind – and failing. 'But your mother's right. We do have one consciousness; there is one sphere of being that exists only to us because we are the same. The mind is a puzzle, and that is true, but between us, there's no puzzle to crack.'

'Because you have the same one.' In a weird and obviously complex way, Schuyler thought. Because Uriel and Gabrielle had both separate and united consciousness and being, their minds were seemingly completely open to each other – like two opposite walls in a room, what was between them was totally their own.

'It was strange for me to use our connection to communicate, at first,' Alice said. 'To use _me_ rather than use the glom.' When Allegra had called to her in the glom not two weeks ago, it had been such a contrast to the way they used to. The glom was universal to Blue Bloods, an open forum for the most part. But the indestructible threads that linked her and her sister were very different to the average vampire bond. She had been able to force her sister out, to keep her away, distant and disconnected, in the glom. When Allegra had tried to grasp for her in their unique way, Alice had felt it, felt the desperation and sadness so palpably, but she had curled up in her corner and refused to respond in any way. And she had ignored the pleas that she felt in her soul; the link between her and Allegra that would always be, that would always exist; a link that could not be destroyed. Not by black fire, not by a _subvertio_. A vampire bond could renounced, in ways, and if truly desired, could be broken (whatever consequences following), but in truth, neither of the Sisters of Heaven could ever really escape each other. They could build as many barriers between themselves as they wanted – they would only be torn down by the indisputable connection that they shared. But it did not mean Alice had to listen to it. She had felt all those moments of longing and ache her sister had when she had left, and she tried to ignore them, until this afternoon. 'It would be wrong for me to make the comparison that your mother is the left hand, and I'm the right. That's more the case between other vampire twins, bond twins. For your mother and I, it would probably be more right to say that if a heart were cut into two, I would be one piece, and your mother would be the other. As far as our minds go, they can function separately, like arms, but there's still something that holds us together.'

'So how does it work with...' Schuyler looked to Dominic, who met Alice's eyes, and then Allegra's, in the rear-view mirror. Vampire twins like Jack and Mimi were said to be two halves of a whole. If Uriel and Gabrielle were _already_ two halves of a whole, then how was it so with their _other_ halves, Raphael and Michael?

'You know,' Alice said, sitting up. She looked genuinely perplexed. 'I have no idea.' Schuyler was right – and it was funny, because she'd never thought about it until now.

'Technically speaking,' Allegra said, 'it would make sense, in a way, for Alice and myself to be unbound to anyone else. But you're thinking about it the wrong way, Schuyler.' She smiled. 'Why does it have to make sense in a logical way? The ways of the heart and of our spirits especially are not bound by physics or reason.' Schuyler didn't seem to remember at the moment, but her and Bliss' existence transcended reason as well. Blue Bloods did not procreate; they were _unable_ to. They could not; not with each other or with the Red Bloods. And yet, they lived. Allegra had stopped restricting the universe and the workings of it to reason and logic a long time ago, and somehow, it had been easier to understand everything that way.

* * *

The night before they drove to the London house, Alice lay awake and alone in her bed, staring up at the canopy. Dominic had thought that she would want to sleep with Allegra, and so had taken one of the guest rooms, but Alice had not sought her sister's company. Thinking, at peace and in quiet, was her favourite occupation other than eating. But as the moon glowed and sent soft beams across the carpet, Alice heard the faint sound of the door opening. She thought about shutting her eyes to sleep, but she saw the willowy figure in the dark, the emerald eyes.

The sheets lifted, and her older sister enveloped her in her arms, wrapping, holding and grasping at her like an infant. Allegra didn't speak, but Alice could her hear breathing, could feel her heartbeat, could feel her soul resting with hers.

There was silence for a while, and neither of them slept, only laying there in their warmth. They did not think, did not speak out loud, or in their heads. Merely relaxed, savoured in their wholeness. There had been times when Alice had huddled in the safety of her sister's arms, but there had also been moments when it had been the other way around – when Uriel had been the one whispering and rocking her sister to sleep.

The quiet went on, but then Allegra's voice was a murmuring whisper, a fraction of a sound, in Alice's mind.

_Alice?_

_Yes?_ Alice lay on her back, her arms wound around Allegra's shoulders.

_I will diminish, won't I?_ Allegra's words were weak, soft to the point of being hardly audible, even when she spoke to her sister through their way. _My spirit will weaken._

Alice didn't need to ask to know why this was being brought up – to know what Allegra was talking about. _I, for one, do not believe so._

Allegra raised her head to look into her face, her deep blue eyes. 'How?' Her sister sat up, and Allegra followed, pulling the light but thick and warm duvet around her shoulders. She looked years younger then, the disquiet and worry making her appear not yet of age. Like a frightened child.

'Dominic and I have a working theory,' Alice said, folding her legs. 'About bond breaking, I mean.' She went on when her sister didn't reply, only listening in ardent, perhaps desperate, interest. 'For as long as we have existed this way, we have advocated and been taught that breaking our bonds with our twins will have an adverse effect on our spirits, right? That, as you said, we'll diminish; we'll be weakened by not joining with our twinned souls. Spiritually paralysed, if you will.' Allegra nodded in agreement, but Alice looked sceptical. 'How do you think we know that?'

Her sister frowned faintly.

'If your bond with Charles is the _only one_ in our entire history that has ever been broken before,' Alice said pointedly, 'then no matter what is written in the ancient documents, no matter what the Elders and Wardens say, how is it that _anyone_ knows the outcome of a broken bond?' Broken bonds, according to the Vampire Code, allowed the other twin the choice to invoke the covenant – to demand that the promise made in Heaven be fulfilled, and then a trial would be held for the bond-breaker. If, however, they chose not to, and in the odd case they wanted to remain silent for whatever reason, to do what the Red Bloods call 'to not press charges', then there would be no trial, no punishment from the Coven. There would only the consequences that the bond-breaker had brought on themselves – or so they had thought, so they had been told, Expression after Expression, life after life.

With a queer sense of relief and wonder, Allegra understood. Her bond was the only one to have ever been broken – and yet, it was said by the Coven that a broken bond essentially meant a broken soul, a half-dead spirit. Charles had not invoked the covenant, and so it was said that they would, she especially, suffer from her actions.

How did they know that?

'There's no proof of what could happen to you,' Alice said. 'There is nothing that can stand as evidence. If your circumstance is the only one of its kind, then how is what we are taught anything but speculation?' She smiled, suddenly aware Allegra was holding her hand tightly. 'They're assumptions, Allegra. Nothing more. Only time will tell us.' She let out a small laugh, quiet and somehow ironic. 'I don't believe that there are the same personal consequences for all. If, a thousand years from now, one twin were to break their bond – and the other was left with nothing, then I believe that would have different results to what you may face. And what you are dealt may also be different to what Abbadon and Azrael are dealt – their breaking is almost mutual.' She was going to say something else, but Allegra was hugging her so tightly (tackled, really, and now she was joyfully being suffocated) it was hard to breathe.

* * *

'Miss Alice!' Elena cried, clasping her hands together as she let her through the door. Allegra and Schuyler were close behind, as were Dominic and the Duke and Duchess. A footman bowed and went back outside to fetch the bags. They had gone back to Perryton to pack some of Alice's things, and the rest would be shipped to New York, and the same for Dominic's. His parents' house in London was only down the block.

Alice smiled wearily; she had spent the better of her part of the afternoon in her rooms, touching the worn, loved furniture, whispering to herself that she would be back one day. As though they could hear her, like she knew them. 'Hello, Elena.' And then the hours in her father's study, where his attorneys had procured papers that ensured Allegra guardianship of her lest she return home, where her mother had sat, quiet but full of controlled sadness, and her father had signed hesitantly at first, his pen quivering above the page before he steeled his hand and signed without another word.

A part of Alice knew she should be happy about being with Allegra, and she did want to be with her, but something seemed so inherently wrong about not being with her parents, Blue Blood or not. Alice _was_ glad to have her sister again, but the moment was full of melancholy at the thought of not having her mother and father.

'You can come home whenever you wish,' her mother had whispered in the limo to London, holding her close. 'Only say the word, and we will come for you.' And she had wrapped her arms around her so tightly and so tenderly, Alice had to fight the tears. 'Mother,' she'd whimpered, feeling anything but joy at being taken away from the ones who had raised her, taken care of her, _loved _her, when she had needed them most. They had only ever let her down, only ever betrayed her trust once, just that once in Paradise, when they had clamoured like blind babies to the Morningstar... They had paid the price, but had repented, had been loyal to none but her, had stood with her unswervingly in the lives on earth. And they had been like babies, really, not knowing any better, almost naive in their innocence. Alice knew they would have thrown themselves headfirst in harm's way for her, would have truly _died_ for her, if ever the situation came to be so grave now. She was touched by their unwavering allegiance and devotion, and knew that her mother's heart was breaking, silently, with dignity, but painfully. Alice herself could not imagine having her own daughter, cycle daughter or true child, taken away from her.

As she sat there, huddled in her mother's warmth and familiar perfume of lilies, clean and pure, Alice could feel her sister sitting almost stiffly in a tangled set of emotions; overwhelming joy shadowed by confusion and perhaps some jealousy, and who knew what else. Well, she did, of course, but she didn't try to dwell on it. Alice stole a glance at her, saw her sitting upright, fighting any show of discomfort on her face; her delicate jaw was clenched in that way Alice knew because it was the same way she did, her brows were ever so slightly drawn, the finest of lines wrinkling the flawless skin.

_Why are you upset, sister?_ Alice sent softly.

_I am not upset, _Allegra replied, her words even and controlled.

_Have it your way, _Alice sent back coldly. Why was _she_ being so dramatic? _She _wasn't the one being torn away from everything she had known, wasn't the one leaving all she loved and cared for behind. She had gotten her way, as she always did. Her sister was being selfish; everyone always said that Uriel had been the fickle little brat, but no, it was Gabrielle this time. Alice sensed Allegra grow rigid in her seat, felt her heart slowly tear, and she immediately regretted thinking what she had. She saw Schuyler, looking helplessly confused, but painfully aware of the tension in her mother. A rush of guilt plagued Alice, and she wanted to curl into a ball and sleep till it all – the pain, the sadness and the remorse – went away.

_Allegra_, she ventured again, no more than a weak whisper. _Allegra._

Her sister remained silent, unmoving in her position, appearing not to have heard her. Her eyes were fixed out the window opposite her. Shame brewing inside her furiously, Alice shut her eyes tightly and brought herself into that place, that space in the universe where no one else existed except she and her sister.

There, she saw a beautiful blonde-haired child huddled, crying, and it was like a blow straight to the heart. This was her sister, a very _part_ of her, the other half of the light they created; their being had been torn in two when they were created to make two souls. They were not created to be apart; the Almighty had made them to be together. Separation was almost a violation, and yet, they had done it again and again. But they knew the consequences now. Alice took a shaky step toward her, but the pained sobs of her sister made her hurry and kneel beside her, feeling the trembling beneath her fingers. She knew that Allegra had only taken that form because she felt vulnerable, that it was only the embodiment of what she felt.

_Sister_? Alice drew her closer, and Allegra said, _You do not want me. You do not want me._

Here, in this place, they were at their purest; innocent as lambs, beautiful as the sun or the stars, the only place they would ever be truly whole again until their return to Paradise. And Allegra sounded like what she looked – a child – her voice almost broken with tears. Her words stabbed into Alice like accusing pinpricks of guilt and pain, and she stroked Allegra's hair with her hand.

_You do not love me_, Allegra said. _You do not love me anymore._

_No!_ Alice wiped the tears away with her fingers, kissing her sister's brow. _That is not true. You know that is not true._

_Then why do you hurt me so?_ The question, poignant and clear, ripped through Alice. _Why do you not want to stay with me?_ She was speaking like a child who had been hit by their parent, openly, weakly asking why. Why, why, why. Why did the person they love hurt them? Why did mother slap me? Why did father beat me? They love me; why did they push me away?

_Hasdiel is hurt too, my sister._ Alice soothingly rubbed her back, not startled by the way that the child Allegra held onto her fiercely, possessively. _And Shamsiel as well. Do you think it easy for them to part with a child?_

_But you said such horrible things..._

_I know, _Alice whispered, lifting her sister's chin to look into her sister's emerald eyes. _I'm sorry. I'm sorry._ Allegra responded by hanging onto her tighter and buried her face into Alice's shoulder. _I did not mean what I thought. _They were angels, beautiful and wonderful – but not perfect. Perfection only belonged to the Almighty, and sometimes it was hard to see the flaws in the ones that they loved. Love was seeing someone as perfect, even though they weren't. It was seeing the perfection in their flaws. Like thinking an egg was good, even though they knew it was a little cracked. _Forgive me?_ Relief flooded through her when she felt Allegra nod, burrowing into her embrace. She kissed the crown of her head.

_You will not leave me?_ Allegra's voice questioned. She held on as though afraid that if she didn't hold tight enough, Alice would slip away.

_No._

_Promise?_

_I promise._

Allegra seemed much happier after that, snuggling as though she were sleepy in Alice's arms. _I will not leave you,_ she said, more confidently. _I promise, too._

Alice looked down into Allegra's face. _I know, sister. _

In an instant, faster than any speed of a Blue Blood on earth, Allegra moved away and returned to her older form before she tugged Alice into her arms. _I will not take you away from here if you truly do not wish it,_ she said softly.

_No_, Alice said. She could not bear the thought of either of them going on through their Expressions without each other. _But please do not be so jealous when Hasdiel holds me. _She raised a brow. _You say I have not changed, but neither have you._ Gabrielle the Virtuous; but still, when it came to Uriel, both possessive and protective. In a way that blurred the line between sister and mother; the way a sister would not like to be displaced by another to their sibling, the way a mother would attempt to shield their child from everything in the world that could possibly hurt them.

After that, the ride had been easier. On the outside, it only appeared they had been deeply lost in thought. Alice had still found her mother's arms wound about her warmly, and Allegra had been clutching Schuyler; the latter had fallen asleep.

'Hello, Miss Alice,' Gresham, the town house's butler, a bald but thickly moustached, smiling man, greeted, his familiar eye-twinkling smile on his face. His cheeks were always rosy, too, and when she was little, Alice thought that if he ate some more cake and wasn't bald, he could have been Santa Claus. 'We've missed you.'

'Yez!' Elena agreed, hurrying to Alice's side; the Duke and Duchess were talking with the housekeeper, and Allegra and Schuyler kept close behind Alice. Dominic had retreated upstairs. 'Are you hungry, Miss Alice?' She didn't wait for a reply before she said, 'I make you your favourite!' And then she scurried off happily downstairs to the kitchen. Gresham chuckled. 'Do you need anything, miss?'

'No thank you, Gresham. It's good to see you too.' And then Alice had shown Allegra and Schuyler their room upstairs before she excused herself quietly.

'Are you okay?' Schuyler asked. She knew what it was like; having to leave everything she loved behind. She had bit her tongue to stop herself from crying when the Duchess had held Alice protectively in the car, so lovingly and full of affection.

Alice looked back before she went through the door. How many times had people asked her that today? 'I'm just tired.'

* * *

Okay, so it was a little wishy-washy... I just felt the need to explain my logic on how I predict and theorise the canon future of Blue Bloods.

Shall I upload another tomorrow night? If I do, there'll only be a few chapters till the end!

spiffy


	25. What We Have Known

**I'm getting bored with my own chapters :( Sorry if you all just want the story to move on - IT WILL! Next chappie it will :)**

* * *

It turned out that Alice's supposed favourite seemed to be a lot of different things; there was a plate of smoked salmon, a pile of caviar and a freshly baked baguette and butter, as well as grilled cheese sandwiches, a whole roast of prime rib, fried chicken legs and more. Elena had not only cooked, but she had ordered take out from Alice's favourite places too; there was butter chicken and naan bread from the Indian takeout she liked, and she had sent two footmen across the city to order and take away from her favourite restaurants. Elena was placing the cheese for the sandwiches when the Duke came in, looking tired and worn, his honey-gold hair limp and dangling over his brow lifelessly, his eyes red.

'Where is she?' the Duke asked, frowning. 'I don't sense her here.' Alice had been missing since earlier in the evening. Dominic had disappeared with her.

Allegra shook her head. 'She went out.'

'Out?'

'I'm not sure where she went, but... She says she'll be back in time for dinner,' she replied.

The Duke's face was expressionless. 'Oh.' And then he turned away and left again.

'Mom?' Schuyler asked, picking apart the grilled sandwich. 'Do you think that...'

Allegra looked up from her cup of tea.

Schuyler pressed her lips together. 'Is Alice okay with... This?'

'With what?'

Squirming on the inside, Schuyler shrugged. 'You know. Leaving home.' Alice had been... Distant. Out of herself, to say the least, since they had left Perryton.

Allegra smiled softly. 'As much as I want this, I didn't force it.' She tucked Schuyler's hair behind her ear. 'Sweetheart, Alice and I... We weren't made to be apart. Alice and I weren't created to be separate. And I'm not just saying that we need each other just because we were made that way. Alice isn't just my other half. We're not like Jack and Mimi, or Cordelia and Lawrence. Vampire twins are intertwined in an intricate way, but no one is bound the way we are...' She looked as though she wanted to say more, to try and explain everything, but she didn't. 'If Alice really doesn't want this, then I will respect that. I'm not making any decisions for her. If she doesn't want this, then she'll say so. But she does.'

Did she really? thought Schuyler. She looked so sad, so detached and wistful, it was hard to believe that she wanted to leave.

'You were sad too, when you left New York, weren't you?'

Schuyler nodded.

'Alice can't just drop everything and leave. I know that now,' Allegra said. 'It would be hard for anyone to leave home.' She reached over and tore a piece of the sandwich off, the cheese making gooey, stretchy strings as she pulled it. 'Still has the craziest appetite,' she laughed, half to herself, popping it into her mouth. 'You could give her a loaf of fresh bread and good butter and leave her alone, and she'd be the happiest thing in the world.'

* * *

Alice returned a little before midnight; Elena had prepared an eclectic, delicious feast and was carving the roast beef when she arrived.

Schuyler noticed that she looked incredibly bright, invigorated, her eyes sparkling with life. Behind her, Dominic looked similar. Had they gone to their familiars? The thought was pushed aside when all six of them gathered at the round glass informal dining table and devoured Elena's assorted spread, the melancholy Schuyler had seen in Alice and her parents no longer there. They had gone to bed full and sleepy – or at least Schuyler had, and had fallen asleep nearly instantly.

Alice was already in the kitchen the next morning when she woke, whisking a thick mixture in a Pyrex bowl. 'Pancakes?' she said, putting a pan on the stove. Even if Schuyler didn't want any, she was going to make sure she had some anyway.

Schuyler grinned. Her mother was right – Alice's appetite _was_ crazy. 'Only if there's bacon and maple syrup,' she laughed.

There was a dubious look on Alice's face. 'Schuyler!' she said, sounding almost offended that Schuyler had even asked. Then, raising a bottle of syrup and a packet of bacon, 'Of course there is! Silly. As if I wouldn't have any...'

Alice felt good this morning, after meeting up with Carter, and then Dominic had been so attentive and tender, even more so than usual. God knew she needed the morning start. The thought of facing the Conclave – the entire European Coven – today made her nervous. And not many things did. She could imagine the reactions - the potential onslaught of questions. Her father had called for them as soon as she'd come home, when she'd told him that the New York branch now knew her identity. He was still a Conclave member, after all, and was a well-respected one at that; most had not forgotten that he was once the Regent.

'Going to be a long day,' Schuyler said as the bacon sizzled in a pan. She knew that was at least true for Dominic and Alice. She didn't blame Alice for wanting a good start to the day.

'Yep.' But if Alice was worried, she didn't look it. The simultaneous cooking of the bacon and the pancakes filled the kitchen with a smell that Schuyler was sure she could get used to; sweet but just a little nutty, like the way a patisserie would first thing in the morning, and then the smoky savoury smell of the bacon. 'Where's Dominic?' Schuyler asked.

Alice flipped a pancake with such relaxed precision she would put most of the world's homemaking mothers to shame. Watch out Martha Stewart, Schuyler wanted to say. 'Went to get some coffee,' Alice told her. Schuyler watched as she poked at the bacon with a fork with one hand and slid the pancake out of the pan with the other; Alice suddenly turned to the stairs leading up from the front hall.

Less than a minute later, walking down them was Allegra, who said, 'Morning,' and took the crisp rasher of bacon straight from the fork in Alice's hand; a momentary scowl flitted over Alice's face, but she rolled her eyes and shook her head, laughing. 'Morning sweetheart,' Allegra said, kissing Schuyler's head and offering her the stolen bacon.

The sound of the front door made them all look up; Dominic came down the stairs to a delicious-smelling kitchen filled with laughter. 'Good morning,' he said cheerily.

'Morning,' Schuyler said, nibbling on the bacon. Allegra beside her had her mouth full, so she smiled and twiddled her fingers.

Dominic placed the cardboard container holding six large cups of coffee from Monmouth over in Covent Garden; he'd used vampire speed to make sure he got back before the coffee got cold. 'And good morning to you,' he whispered, sliding his arms about Alice's middle and nuzzling her temple, pressing his lips to her cheek. _I woke up to an empty bed this morning. _Dominic would have far preferred to find her still beside him, all warm and soft and sleepy, and ready for his kisses.

She relaxed into his warm, harder body. _I wanted pancakes._ She had slipped out of bed before he had, and when he had finally come down, she was pulling out flour and eggs, and then had told him to go out for coffee; although there was a large, shiny silver espresso machine that would have been at home at any serious cafe in the kitchen, she had wanted something in particular.

'There you go,' Dominic said, pulling away with another kiss to her cheek, placing two of the large coffee cups in front of Schuyler and Allegra. 'Enjoy.'

Schuyler watched her mother, so casual and relaxed as though it were the most normal thing in the world to have her baby sister make pancakes in the morning, drinking her coffee. She followed, taking a hesitant sip, when she tasted a smooth, and well-bodied coffee that warmed her to her toes; rich and sweet like cocoa, but almost fruity in its vibrancy, not at all bitter. She was sure she would have ordered the same thing had she been there herself – if only she knew the name of the brew or even the bean.

'What did you order for them?' Alice asked, raising a brow as she sipped her own coffee.

'Same thing as you.' Dominic scratched his head. 'Figured they'd like what you like.' It was obvious now, as all three of them were drinking it quite happily; Dominic appeared pleased with himself.

Alice flipped another pancake and made a face that said she was only mildly caring, when in fact it piqued her that Allegra and her daughter liked the same thing. She had almost expected it – especially from Allegra – but it was surreal thinking about it from the sixteen year old's perspective. 'Huh.'

The Duchess appeared when Alice was giving Schuyler things to put on the table; the enormous stack of pancakes, the pile of crispy bacon, the bottle of syrup.

'Good morning darling,' she said, her hand on Alice's back before she stroked her hair. 'Your father won't be joining us; he's sorting through some things in his study.'

There was only a slight hitch in Alice's movements, a little, tiny pause as she opened the cutlery drawer, but Schuyler saw it. She wondered what it was like, having a father and a mother who were both alive and well and who loved her and took care of her, having something resembling a family dynamic; Schuyler tried to imagine Alice's life before all this, and then tried to place herself in the same situation, but it seemed strange. A mother who she was learning more and more about every day, somehow managed to love her more with every moment they spent together, and a father she didn't know at all. Alice knew her parents, and her parents knew her. While they were among the most diligent of Blue Bloods, still caring for their true destiny in the heavens, still fighting for what they had once believed in, they had managed to create a sort of happiness while doing so; meshing the love and affection of a typical family with the lifestyle of the inanely privileged. They had managed to create a life in which duty, love, destiny and freedom seemed to coexist.

Abruptly, Schuyler was drawn into a scene where she saw the Duchess at the kitchen counter, stirring something; the room smelled of warmth and love, the way a kitchen would have smelled if Cordelia had ever taken up baking, and then the Duchess pulled out a tray from the oven. Schuyler saw a neat arrangement of cookies – chocolate chip? Then, Alice, in boxers and an oversized shirt, talking on the phone, coming down the stairs and absently reaching for a cookie – her mother quickly replaced the burning hot cookies for the still-warm ones on a nearby rack. Alice smiled as she held her fingers suspended, and then took the plate and continued talking on the phone. Her mother pat her bottom affectionately as she walked away. The vision followed her up the stairs and into the front reception room, where the Duke was reclined on a sofa, feet on the coffee table with the newspaper held in front of his face. He, like everyone else, was still in his pyjamas. Alice put the plate down on the table, and the Duke shifted so that she could sit across his legs; she hung up the phone and they were talking, about what Schuyler didn't know, only that it was something funny in the newspaper. The vision ended, and Schuyler blinked around her. Had that been Alice's memory? she wondered, looking over at her. Alice looked a little lost too, as though she were thinking about something, holding a forkful of pancake that sat untouched. When she came to, she noticed Schuyler staring at her.

_Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I must have dragged you along somehow,_ she sent.

_What do you mean?_

_Alice was reminiscing in her own mind,_ Allegra's voice came, _but it appears that she – or the connection between us – pulled me into seeing it with her. And my link with you must have tugged you in as well._

_Is that even possible? _Schuyler asked.

_Looks like it. I thought I felt someone else there; guess it was the two of you._ Alice frowned, but returned to her pancakes without another word. She looked almost expressionless, but there was a melancholy to her features that struck Schuyler as very familiar. Of course it was familiar. It had been the same kind of shadow casting over her mother's face, once. When she had been lying in that bed, dead to the world. Schuyler wanted to talk to her, about what she was leaving behind but she figured it wasn't the right time or place. If Allegra and her father had been in her life the way the Duke and Duchess had been in Alice's, Schuyler didn't think she could ever leave. If her life hadn't been filled with the lonely ache; if she had lived the sort of happy childhood she imagined Alice did.

As if sensing her thoughts, Schuyler thought she saw a ghost of a smile curve Alice's mouth. But like a ghost, it disappeared as soon as she had seen it.

* * *

Deep beneath the city of London, in the ancient, underground chambers beneath St. James' Palace, the European Coven and its Conclave, had gathered. The Regis, Isabelle of Orleans, Countess of Paris, took the principal seat in the underground system's largest chamber; like a judge in a courtroom, she took the middle and outstanding seat on a high platform, the Conclave and Elders on either side of her. But unlike in New York, the other Coven members were seated opposite them like an audience, in raised stands so that they could observe. Schuyler could not only see Alice's and Dominic's friends there, but also Catherine Riccardi, all looking nervous.

The Coven had not been called into gathering this way for nearly two hundred years, not since the alleged disappearance of Uriel and Raphael had all the Blue Bloods of Europe been called together.

Schuyler craned her neck, and saw the Duke sitting on the front platform; she could pick his figure out even though she could not see his face. She, however, was sitting on a row behind him with the Duchess, her mother, Alice and Dominic. Schuyler didn't need a magnifying glass to see the anxiety riddled on the Her Grace's beautiful face. There was another woman on the other side of the Duchess, gentle-looking and pretty, and she talked with Her Grace in whispers. In front, the Countess, Isabelle of Orleans, made a striking figure in the centre of the hall, and her voice boomed through it.

'St Ives,' she said, turning to her friend further along the bench. 'It is you who has called us here. You have summoned us – all of us – for you say that it is of the utmost importance. An emergency, if you will. You have brought Gabrielle and her daughter to us. Please, explain yourself.' Her tone was not angry or severe, but calm and questioning.

'I bring the matter of the former Regis to the Coven,' the Duke said, his voice low and ringing with every authority in the world. His gaze alone commanded the attention of the entire hall. 'I move to once more bring to light the issue of the lost Uncorrupted, Gabrielle's sister, our beloved Uriel and her mate, the pure and kind Raphael.'

There was obvious disquiet in the stands, more so amongst the high platform.

'Why do you bring this matter before us again, Sebastian?' Lorenz, Duke of Aosta, the head of the House of Savoy, said darkly. 'All the Uncorrupted have been lost to us here in Europe.' His words were almost growled, bitterness seeping from them like poison. 'Michael and Gabrielle abandoned us centuries ago, and then our only hope, Uriel and Raphael, disappeared without a trace! They have probably returned to Paradise, leaving us here! What more is there to be said?' Some nodded in agreement on the bench, some did not. He suddenly caught Allegra's eye and defiantly looked back. He had grown bitter over the centuries.

'Have you lost faith in the ones who led us from the darkness?' The outrage was like a dagger in Maria Theresa of Austria's accusation; she was the head of the House of Hapsburg. 'Raphael himself shielded you from annihilation in Rome! How dare you speak of them this way!'

'You have forgotten your place, Lorenz!' another said angrily, glaring at the Savoy representative. It was Hans Adam II, Prince of Lichtenstein, of the House of Lichtenstein. 'You spit on the Uncorrupted, you are a shame to us all!'

'SILENCE!' the Countess of Paris boomed. 'I will have silence!' She looked around, as though daring for anyone to dispute her. 'Now, Sebastian, I understand you and Charlotte were the closest to our lady Uriel. It was you who informed us that the Archangels had disappeared, you who they entrusted all their worldly possessions and things, should they ever return. What news do you bring now?' Schuyler felt as though the question was directed at her, and she shifted uncomfortably, but she could sense the hope beginning to bloom in each and every single one in the chamber

The Duke of St Ives shut his eyes for a moment, before he said, 'I call upon my daughter, Alice.'

At this, the Countess herself turned around fully to look at Alice on the bench behind. Even though she didn't know who Alice really was, there was softness and warmth in her expression that Schuyler guessed all could not help having in seeing her. 'Come to the front, child. There is nothing to be afraid of.'

The Marquess of Winchester then spoke. 'I also call upon my son, Dominic.'

'What is the meaning of this, Winchester?' the Countess asked, the rest of the bench except for Alice's father nodding in agreement.

'Please, Regis,' the Duke of St Ives said, 'let them both speak.'

When Alice and Dominic stood beneath the scrutiny of the entire Coven, side by side, their hands entwined, another on the platform spoke, looking through a file.

'Cassiel, Beholder of Tears, born as Alice Anstruther-Black, born to the Enmortals Charlotte and Sebastian Anstruther-Black. Jerahmeel, Angel of Sincerity, born as Dominic Stoneleigh, born to the Enmortals Victoria and Hargreave Stoneleigh.' The questioner raised a brow. 'Is this correct?'

* * *

**Ooh, it's on now! **

**...Man I'm bored. **

**spiffy**


	26. Reverends and Redemption

Almost there lovelies!

* * *

It was all too easy for Alice to release her brethren from the continued blindness she had inflicted upon them. Once, in her last life, at a time when her powers had manifested themselves to their fullest, Alice had weaved an intricate web of suggestion, memory suppression and mind control on every single one of the heavenly spirits in Europe, even those not awake in an Expression. Lesser angels could perform the glom on Red Bloods, but this was a feat that only Uriel could perform; master of the mental planes, of the metaphysical realms, of all things unseen and abstract. Only she could truly grasp the mind of the Blue Bloods, could infiltrate the far more complex and difficult paths and use the glom on them as they did Red Bloods. The mind was a puzzle – and Uriel was very, _very_ good at puzzles.

When she lifted her spell, it was not an immediate reaction. The Elders took a moment to recollect themselves, as though someone had hit them over the head with a plank, and the younger vampires were dazed for a minute or so. The spell was such that the victims would completely remember being under its influence, would be totally aware of what they had once known, what they had then been made to believe, and the reality. The first to put the puzzle back together was the Duke of Aosta, who upon understanding everything, being hoodwinked in the most elaborate of ways, realised he had also spoken badly of someone who had been there all along.

'Uriel!' he gasped, clambering down from his seat to the front of the platform and throwing himself at Alice's and Dominic's feet. On his knees, he shook his head furiously. 'Raphael...' The Duke of Aosta was usually a proud man, standing with the bearing true to that of a royal as he was, but now he was blubbering like an infant. 'Forgive me, forgive me, my faith was shadowed by the years!' He was crying, and when he lifted his head, he found Alice kneeling down by him, her hands touching his face.

'It is me you must forgive,' she said. 'My absence made you lose hope.' Alice did not flinch or pull away when the Duke moved into her arms like a child, clutching at her.

The hall watched the scene, transfixed by the sight of the ones they thought had abandoned them, when they had watching over them all along. Maria Theresa could not contain herself either, coming down from the platform and tentatively approaching Alice and Dominic. When they met her eyes, she fell to her knees and began to cry.

This was part of what the Uncorrupted encapsulated, thought Schuyler as her mother smiled. They were the last beacons of hope for the Blue Bloods; the pure who had voluntarily taken the burden of the traitorous. Not only were they untainted by the sins against Heaven, but they were the Almighty's fiercest warriors, His greatest angels and defenders, the Archangels, the mightiest of them all. And they brought hope and warmth to the Blue Bloods, not only by their strength, but by their willingness to suffer the consequences of violations that were not even their own. If angels could love that way, if angels could forgive that way, then surely, surely, the Almighty could too? He too could let them return home, to Paradise, once more.

Here on earth, the Uncorrupted were more than symbols. They were older, faster, wiser, stronger and mightier than all the Blue Bloods. They had deservingly garnered the respect shown to them. And yet, they asked for nothing. All love and respect for them was given willingly, openly. They had made an almost unparalleled sacrifice, and there was hardly a Blue Blood in the world who didn't know it.

When the initial shock had passed, the Countess of Paris herself stepped down from the platform and stood toe to toe with Alice and Raphael. The expression on her face looked severe, but Alice knew it to be more complicated than that. Elation and anger warred, hope and confusion, wonder and relief. They shared a quiet word in the glom, before the Countess returned to her seat.

The hall was visibly restless, full of questions, full of yearning to at least look Uriel and Raphael in the eye and know that the Uncorrupted had truly returned, but the Countess spoke first.

'Firstly, I must offer my sincere apologies to both your fathers and mothers.' Isabelle sent a glance each to the Stoneleighs and the Anstruther-Blacks. 'As close as we have remained, a part of me never quite forgave them for letting you vanish. It was your will that they appeared helpless in stopping you. Sebastian, Charlotte, Victoria, Hargreave... I am sorry.' The four nodded simultaneously. 'Secondly, I believe I must reinstate your positions as Venators, if I may.'

Alice and Dominic shared a look, but made no reply.

'And lastly...' The Countess gazed down at them, not even in their full forms but yet so beautiful and wonderful, she thought that Uriel's spell must have been something else; how did she miss their radiance before? 'What do you intend to do now?' Normally it was not the Regis' personal business what the Coven members did in their daily lives, but these were no ordinary Coven members.

'As you are aware,' Alice said, 'my sister has returned for me.'

Schuyler swore she heard a hint of humour in her voice as the awe-filled attention drew briefly to her mother, who nodded, but there was a collective gasp of disbelief and shock as Alice made her next announcement, Dominic quiet but strong at her side, as he had always been.

'Dominic and I are returning to New York with her.'

* * *

Outrageous! Unbelievable! Out of the question! The outcry from the Coven was to be expected, but Alice had soothed them, and Schuyler saw the effect her charm had on the others. Alice spoke well; she was articulate, but sincere. Her words had moved even the most stoic of Conclave members. And it wasn't simply lip-service. She spoke the truth, of how the two Daughters of the Light, the twin sisters of the White, could not, _should_ not be apart. She was joined by Allegra, and she explained that it had been her own mistake to separate, and all the Coven knew that the Uncorrupted were stronger together. Some had asked why New York, why could not the others come _here_, but it was undeniable that the greater number of Blue Bloods lay in New York, that the root of the problem of the Silver Bloods was nearer to there, considering the loss of Metraton and Selaphiel in this new war – Lawrence and Cordelia – and considering that the help was most needed there. The sick needed the doctors, Alice reminded, not the healthy. And in comparison to the state of the New York Coven, the Europeans were doing fairly well.

The financial crisis had hit both Covens hard, but the New Yorkers more so. The Duke of St Ives, for one, had assets hidden everywhere; legally belonging to him, but out of sight so that his family's true wealth was never questioned. He had made it seem that the Anstruther-Blacks were considerably poorer than what they had once been, when the opposite was true. On the topic, the Duke had a confession to make to the Countess.

'The Hotel Lambert,' he said, twining his fingers. He had just revealed that the bank accounts of the Anstruther-Blacks were far, _far_ larger than what had been let on.

The Countess turned mournful, wistful. 'It is too late to re-purchase it, Sebastian. Thank you for the thought, though. It has probably already been massacred by the bourgeoisie...'

'I do not think so,' the Duke said.

More than a few people in the room raised their brows.

'What do you mean?'

The Duke looked playful, a fact noticed by every woman in the room; even though he was physically several centuries older than Schuyler, she knew he was a devilishly attractive man. She could picture him in a Gothic romance, or even the Regency when he had been born for this cycle. Her thoughts drifted back to the portrait in his study...

'Whom, might I ask, purchased the dear Lambert?' he said.

'A ruthless conglomerate,' the Countess said bitterly. 'By the name of AAB Corporation.' She waved a hand, urging them to not talk about such a painful subject any longer. 'Do not worry, Sebastian. The Hotel Lambert, like so many others, has been truly lost to us.' But the Duke went on.

'A – A – B.' The Duke smiled slyly, punctuating each letter with a pause. 'AAB,' he repeated, looking deliberately at his daughter. 'Alice... Anstruther... Black.'

* * *

It turned out that AAB Corporation was one of the handful of funds, trusts and companies that the Duke and his family clandestinely owned in order to safely invest their wealth; these companies were solely based on Blue Blooded interests and benefitted the Blue Bloods more than any other, especially now in the world financial crisis. AAB – one of Alice's personal funds which her father had let her take charge of on her sixteenth birthday – been the secret force behind the purchases of many Blue Blood families' extravagant but no longer financially sustainable estates, and the Hotel Lambert was no exception; one of the Duchess' companies had been salvaging priceless Blue Blood family heirlooms at Europe's auction houses with the help of her influence and position at Sotheby's and Christie's, that had been forced into sale due to the crisis; the Duke's finance companies had been offering cheaper loans to Blue Blood investments and businesses. And along with the Stoneleighs, the Anstruther-Black's fortunes had also been invested into commodities like gold and diamonds – the Duke, under the guise of his various companies, now controlled nearly fifty percent of the world's diamonds and their mines. Their wealth was spread farther and wider than any had imagined, but safely, mostly unaffected by the stock market crash.

With Alice and Dominic's relocation, the Duke reasoned, their interests in North America could be taken care of much better. 'I had been planning on expansion anyway,' the Duke said cheerfully to his daughter, who seemed surprised at his sudden change in mood. He had been so sombre, so grave yesterday.

The meeting had been adjourned, and Allegra was speaking to the Countess, while the Duchess talked to Dominic's parents. Schuyler was standing with Alice, not missing the looks of curiosity sent her way, when Alice's friends from Calverton came up to them.

'So...' said Lara, followed closely by the other four. 'This is a surprise.'

Alice took a long breath and sighed, shrugging as she smiled helplessly, Dominic smiling with her. 'Sorry we couldn't tell you sooner.' Since they had started school, and even before then in their nurseries, it had been the six of them that had stuck together like magnets; she, Dominic, Lara, Julian, Philippa and Alexander. The six of them that had ruled the teenage scene, that had holidayed in St Tropez together, skied in Gstaad together, partied in Paris together, and discovered their Blue Blood heritage together. Lara had been the first girlfriend Alice had ever made – and the best.

'It's okay,' Julian said, shrugging back. 'Not like you could help it.'

'I can't believe you're going to New York,' Philippa moaned. 'It's so...'

'Far?' Dominic offered. There were several different words he could have used, but that one made them laugh.

Alexander was smirking, shaking his head. 'I always thought you were too hot,' he teased. Even now, even when everything was to be changed forever, he still had the crude humour.

Alice punched his shoulder playfully. 'Shut up.' At Calverton on Friday, she had told them Allegra was her aunt, and Schuyler her cousin. 'You guys can fly over sometime, and we'll still have the phone, right?' She sounded hopeful, but it wasn't changing the way her and Dominic's friends looked.

'Everything's going to be different now, though, isn't it?' Lara said softly, sadly.

* * *

'Did you notice?'

'Yes. I asked her, but she said she didn't know.'

Dominic frowned, but Alice shook her head.

'Don't worry about it,' she murmured. There was enough to deal with; she still had to make some last calls before the flight to New York in a couple of days. 'We can't do anything about it now.'

Her twin's eyes drew to the floor, and a breath of resignation slipped from his lips, but his fingers filled the gaps between hers, and he squeezed. They watched their friends, shoulders visibly dropped, as they moved out of the chamber with the larger part of the Coven, but like the crowd, they couldn't help casting glances back at the softly luminescent figures of Alice, Dominic and Allegra.

Alice felt her sister's hand on her shoulder, and heard Allegra say mournfully, 'I'm sorry this is hard.' She didn't hesitate as she put her hand over Allegra's. 'It's okay.' Then, turning, Alice saw her mother, her hands clasped together, her mouth trembling as she stood, watching. She who had sheltered her, cared for her – loved her. In a blink, Alice had covered those shaking hands in her own and felt the fine trembling beneath her mother's soft skin. Her father stood by her mother, his face frozen in stoicism.

'I'm not gone yet,' she whispered, swallowing the lump of welling emotion, trying to still her mother's shaking hands. 'I'm still here.' No, Alice thought. She could never abandon Hasdiel, or Shamsiel, ever again. As Gabrielle's had been for Metatron and Selaphiel, Uriel's love for them merited greater than that. Alice smiled, and like the sun bursting through the clouds, she forced back the tears and laughed, because if she didn't, she might break apart from the sadness that enveloped her heart.

* * *

Schuyler's hand hesitated as it moved to knock the wood of Alice's bedroom door. Their flight was tomorrow; these were Alice's last moments in her home. When there was no answer, she tried the knob and found it unlocked. 'Alice?' Schuyler opened the door wider, and within a moment of peering into the airy room, knew it was empty; it was surprising, not for its size – it would have been more accurate to call it a suite – but for the sense of home and of warmth it exuded. Though not as large as Alice's apartments at Perryton House, the two rooms of drawing room and bed room bled into each other seamlessly. And though there were signs that it was no ordinary bedroom, like the high-end sound system, the antique furniture, and the wall-mounted television, there was something that made it very familiar, very lived in. For someone who had gone to boarding school, especially.

The walls painted the palest rosebud, the sunlight, like liquid gold, streamed through the windows and illuminated the tiniest dust particles, glittering in the air as they floated. Schuyler stepped further into the room, drawn to a set of shelves where a splendid array of medals, ribbons and trophies lay proudly, accompanied by various photos. There was one of Alice, dressed in her riding gear, with a beautiful chestnut horse, its muzzle nestled over her shoulder, and another with the Duke, this time both of them atop their horses; the Duke's was a magnificent ebony beast, proud and sleek. As she moved further into the room, this time into the area with the bed, she saw the way Alice's things littered over the vanity; photos stuck onto the mirror, hair clips and perfume bottles like magic potions, lotion and little trinkets that she had perhaps forgotten to put away. Looking at the photos on the mirror, a familiar ache came to settle in Schuyler's chest. There were pictures of her and her friends, Dominic, but most striking of all were the photographs of her parents.

Laying tumbled together and undeniably laughing were the Duchess and Alice; it would appear as though the Duchess had fallen and had taken Alice with her, but Schuyler would never know. And then there was a photo above it, where it looked as though the Duke and Duchess had been posing, but then Alice had obviously jumped into the frame last minute – their expressions of shock were evident. Another, of the Duke and Duchess, this time alone, grinning widely, as though Alice herself had taken the photo. And here was Alice again, squirming like a child who was about to get her cheek wiped by a mother's thumb, and on either side she was flanked by her mother and father, who were simultaneously kissing her cheeks. Alice blowing out a birthday cake, her parents beaming behind her; Alice sleeping in her mother's arms, Alice drawing on the Duke's face (grinning madly at the camera as she did so) while he held up his hands in ineffectual defence... Schuyler choked out a laugh, and realised that, as a tear drop hit the wood of the vanity, Alice had been blessed in more way than one.

* * *

Alice slept in her parents' bed that night, spooned against her mother while her father wrapped them both in his arms. They had not slept like this in a long, long time – at least not with her father; she regularly climbed into the bed with her mother and fell asleep watching old movies, waking up to find herself being used as a willing cuddle-pillow, but all three of them, entwined so snugly and safely, was not recent.

They didn't speak as they went to sleep, the only sounds filling the room the occasional shifting and ruffle of material, but Alice wanted to cry as her mother's soft, even breathing floated over her nape, as her father's arms tightened around them.

_Hasdiel_, she found herself calling in the glom. _Oh, Hasdiel, forgive me._

_For what, sweet child? _

Alice felt her mother smiling against her hair. _For everything._ She had followed them on earth with the promise that she would always be with them, would always be their safe haven, their shelter and their light. She had promised that she would do all in her power to return them all to Paradise. Millennia later, her promise burned as fiercely as the day she had descended from Heaven. But here they were, savouring their last hours together as though a death sentence had been given.

_Do not dwell on the coming sorrow_, the Duke sent. _Let us be at peace for now._

* * *

'Where is she?' Allegra demanded. 'She's gone – I know she is.' The only ones left in the house were the Duke and Duchess. Dominic and Alice had disappeared.

Again.

'She will return soon,' the Duke said quietly, reading a newspaper and drinking his coffee. As though everything were perfectly normal. As though his and his wife's heart weren't breaking with every passing second.

'Where is she?' Allegra asked again, the edge in her voice palpable still; she was not mad, only anxious. Since Alice's fleeing New York, it troubled her deeply to think she would run away again. Alice was still, after all, only a teenager in this Expression, and running away was always a teenage option, even if her spirit was older than the world itself.

* * *

The choristers' song flowed softly through the nave of Bastion Cathedral, the united, gentle notes echoing around the arches, the tread of the two angels who now walked through the only other sound.

Alice's steps were easy, but slow, she glanced upward at the white and gold vaulting of the ceiling, at the carved stone columns forming arches lining the nave. Dominic's fingers were laced through hers, and she let the almost haunting song guide her footsteps. The carved features around her glowed with the morning light. Alice's fingers on her other hand skimmed the top of the polished wooden pews as she floated through the aisle, and then she and Dominic passed the Bishop's Eye, a giant circle of elaborate stained glass that some said rivalled the Notre Dame's, and toward the sanctuary. They went around the altar, making a sign of the cross as they did so, to come face to face with the giant hanging cross.

This was where she had been christened; and she came back every Sunday for the service, if she could. Lately, of course, that hadn't been an option. But here, her heavenly nature, the part of her that so longed to return home, felt somewhat eased. Alice felt Dominic kiss the backs of her fingers as he gently let go of her hand and together, they stood there, looking up at the cross.

She stared at the face for a long time, a sad ache in her soul throbbing like a heartbeat. _Is this what you wanted, my lord?_ She stared at the man hanging on the cross, and bowed her head, before lifting it again to let the pained gaze of the crucified Jesus Christ pierce her.

_Is this what you wanted?_ she asked again. _Is this what you really ask of us?_

There was no spoken, not even in the glom, but inside herself, Alice sensed the answer – as she always did. Alice smiled softly, almost wryly. _What have you planned for us? _She wondered why the Almighty had allowed – even considered – Gabrielle to have Schuyler. He decided whether or not a soul was granted into another – why had he let Allegra be with child? _You could have made it otherwise. _Why had he given her sister this burden of loving one who could not ever be hers the way she wanted, why had he given her the gift of a half-blood child? The child of both Blue and Red Blood. The child of both angel and human. There were no bodies for their kind in Paradise; no physical shells – only their purest form, their bare spirit. What did that make Schuyler? Was she mortal, like her father? Or would her spirit take on another form, be reborn in another body like the rest of the Fallen? Was she a human with Blue Blood powers, or a newly born angel? Newborn angels were not rare in Heaven, after all. Would it be so odd for the Almighty to allow a new spirit – a new angel – be born on earth?

Alice felt a warm light fill her from the inside, and she smiled again, sighing. As though something inside her had been healed, fixed, she touched her heart. Nearly all Blue Bloods were unable to reconnect with the Father, mostly out of forgetful complacency or shame. Uriel, however, had retained a connection to the Almighty, as did the other Uncorrupted. _I will not fail you_, she thought. She was the Almighty's Fire; she would burn and she would cleanse.

She then frowned a little. What if the Almighty had planned for her own bond to break? In her soul, she almost sensed a laugh, and suddenly she knew it would be all right. But she sent a humble prayer for the Blue Blooded, and turned around to see Dominic down on one knee, his head bowed, his fingers grazing the stone floor.

The liquid light from the window cast a glow over him, turning his dark golden hair into an illuminated halo, bringing out something in his skin that made it seem like it shone. He was her Raphael – now and forever. Whatever the Almighty had in store, whatever He intended, whatever He let happen, would happen. All she had to do was _be_, and everything would be all right. What would come would come. An angel had to have faith, after all. And she did. She believed that their love would last – and such faith would ensure its survival. She could not continue to compare what had happened between Michael and Gabrielle to her and Raphael.

As she looked lovingly on at Dominic, his prayers moving her deeply, Alice longed for a moment of the Almighty's light, before Dominic opened his eyes and looked up at her.

There it was, in his shining eyes, in that tender smile. The fact had been forgotten by most, but the Almighty was everywhere, even when it didn't feel like it. And he was especially there when love was. The Creator was both loving and love itself. When there was love, there was the Almighty. It was a simple concept, but there was so much behind it that Alice almost laughed to herself. It was like what she had told Charles. Love wasn't discriminatory; love wasn't exclusive – no matter what any Blue Blood seemed to think. Love was love.

Without love, they were nothing. No angel, no human, was worth anything without love.

She turned back to the cross, smiling like the sun had broken through the clouds, as Dominic's voice was a soft song in her mind, having heard her thoughts.

_If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong, or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing._

Alice turned to face him again, and touched his face, her fingers trailing down his cheek and across his mouth. His words were familiar; most would recognise them as the famous passage from St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians in the Bible. What they didn't know, of course, was that the spirit that had inspired the beautiful lines had been the Archangel Raphael. Raphael's love was a rarity, perhaps one of the rarest things in the universe, because it was a perfect love. There were few instances of perfect love; the Almighty's was the greatest, of course, but Raphael's was just about next in line. And he had been generous enough to share it, even just a little of it, with the world through St. Paul. What everyone knew as those famous words was what Raphael's love was truly like.

'Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous,' Dominic's voice said aloud as he pulled her closer. As Alice looked up at him, she said, 'Love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly or rude.' Dominic's hands held her face, his forehead touching hers. In his eyes, Alice saw something so beautiful, so wonderful, she fought not to cry. He sensed the rush of emotion, and whispered, 'It does not seek its own interests, is not quick-tempered, does not brood over an injury...' When he saw the tears, and then the helpless smile, he wiped the crystal drops away gently and continued, 'It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.' Dominic kissed her lips softly, then her eyes, and then brushing his mouth across her forehead, and said, 'Love never fails.' He brought his lips to hers again, whispering against them as though to reassure her, 'If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially, and we prophesise partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.'

Dominic kissed her then, somehow knowing what he needed to do, what he wanted to do, and eyes still closed, said with all the love in his soul, 'I give myself to you.' He didn't need to open his eyes to sense the joy that exploded through her. Her mouth opened in reply: 'I give mysel –'

'Good morning.'

The pair was startled, but didn't break apart. Standing a few feet away was the Reverend Kevin O'Shea; a man of average height and build, but with smiling blue eyes and a head of brown hair streaked with grey. At fifty-two, he had gone to Eton and Cambridge, but had found his calling in the Church. He was the children's favourite at Sunday School, and his Sunday sermons were fantastically entertaining as well as meaningful.

'Reverend,' Dominic said, pulling away only slightly from Alice.

'It's been a while,' Alice said.

The Reverend smiled warmly, laughing. The two of them had been coming to the cathedral since they had been baptised, along with their parents. 'Indeed it has.' He eyed them hopefully. 'Perhaps you have come for another engaging discussion?'

Alice laughed too. While no one had ever told the good Reverend who or what they really were, she was sure that he knew something. She didn't know how, and she didn't know what he knew, exactly, but he looked at them in a way that made her suspect that he sensed something very different about them. 'I'm afraid we can't stay.'

'Ah, well, another time then.' The Revered considered them thoughtfully, smiling. 'What did He say today?'

Dominic smiled. 'He is happy you have been keeping the peace here.' He looked up mournfully at the cross. 'He knows that people fret and worry about everything, and is glad to know you remind them every Sunday that He is always there to help.'

The Reverend looked up as well and said, 'I sometimes wish he would be so direct with me.'

Alice laughed again. 'Do not worry, Reverend. You can hear Him quite well as it is.'

'Well, I do try to listen very hard,' chuckled the Reverend. He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but thought the better of it. 'I can only help so many people.'

'That is all He asks of you.' Dominic sounded older then. 'Do what you can – do the best you can.' Suddenly, he noticed a small splint on the Reverend's finger. 'What happened there?' The teenager had returned.

'Oh, 'fraid I jammed it in the car door,' he laughed sheepishly.

As Dominic came closer to inspect it, Alice asked, 'Does it hurt?'

'I don't like to complain about pain much,' the Reverend chuckled, looking up at the cross, 'but it never stops aching. Whenever I use my other fingers, I end up jostling it...' He watched as Dominic held his hand and ran a finger down the splint... 'How – how did you do that?' the Reverend asked as Dominic stepped away.

'Do what?' the younger boy replied.

But the Reverend looked over his hand, and warily at first, began to remove the tape that held the splint to his finger. 'It was hurting one moment, and then...' He removed the splint and carefully flexed his fingers, staring at the two teenagers in awe. 'How did you...' And then, 'Who are you?'

'When He thinks you're ready to know,' Alice said, smiling softly as she and Dominic walked past the Reverend, 'we'll tell you.'

* * *

When Alice and Dominic emerged from the main door, Allegra charged.

'I thought I told you to _not _run away like that again!'

Schuyler actually laughed as Alice rolled her eyes and was enveloped in a suffocating hug that made Alice cough for air. As she watched one squeeze the other with the force of a thousand giant vices, she briefly touched the silken baby blue ribbon holding her dark hair away from her face, just to make sure it was still there; her mother had tied it around this morning.

'Ca-can't – breathe – '

'Alice!'

Allegra let go, but her sister froze. That voice. She followed it, and standing down at the end of the street was a tall, gangly yet fine-boned boy with dark, shaggy hair. Even from a distance, she could see the dark bruises beneath his eyes, could see how gaunt he looked. His name slid out from her lips without conscious thought.

'Huntley?'

* * *

He didn't run to her, so she ran to him, ignoring everything else.

'Huntley!' Where had he been all this time? Alice reached him and laughed in hysteria, unable to believe it was him. It had been so long now... She hugged him, and she realised that her arms went all the way around him now. 'You... You've lost a lot of weight,' she said testily. 'Where the hell have you been? I've missed you so much...' She shook her head and hugged him again, suddenly aware that he wasn't hugging her back with the same enthusiasm. 'What's wrong?' Alice looked into his face, into his eyes, and then knew something _was_ wrong. 'Hunt?'

Huntley's face was blank – had remained blank – but there was something in his eyes that told Alice he was in pain.

_Huntley? What is it? _She reached for him through their connection, and felt a morbid darkness muffling him out, like a gag over his mouth. _Huntley!_

For the briefest moment, his face broke into the saddest, most hurt she had ever, ever seen it. 'I'm sorry,' he whispered, 'I'm so sorry, babe. I tried, I tried – ' And then as though an invisible hand clutched around his throat, he choked, and Alice screamed as another force dragged her down, down into the darkness, the last thing she could see as she flailed and struggled was her own face, frozen in a scream...

* * *

...WHAM!

Review my lovelies, and I might just let you know what happens next :)

spiffy


	27. The Defender of Salvation

**This will be the last upload for at least the next three to four weeks, although I have already written the last chapter of the story. I will be extremely busy with final exams (as in the ones that get me into university!), so please bear with me, and enjoy!**

* * *

'Schuyler? Are you all right?'

'Yeah... I think so.'

'Are you hurt?'

'Well, I think I landed on something weird,' Schuyler said, her eyes still shut as she felt for any serious injuries.

'...That would be because you landed on my head.'

Schuyler's eyes cracked open and she scrambled upward. It had never occurred to her that the glom had a floor. Sure, she could walk and run in it, but because everything was just endless black, she'd sort of forgotten the concept of up and down. 'Oh my God, I'm so sorry!' She realised that her back had been squashing Dominic's face into the ground. The glom sure had a hard floor for a place that existed outside the physical. As she helped him up, she asked, 'What happened?'

Dominic looked around. 'I was following Alice up to Huntley with Allegra just ahead of me, but as I got closer, I sensed something in Huntley... I don't think he was himself.'

A cold, menacing voice sent a shudder up Schuyler's spine.

'Well Raphael, I think you're quite right.'

* * *

Alice twisted and writhed – and realised that whatever had gotten hold of her had already let go. She sat up (having somehow the nerve to think mundanely that she must have looked like _such_ an idiot), and saw Allegra kneeling beside her. She wasn't smiling (she'd obviously not thought her spastic writhing was funny at all), but it was comforting to have her there. 'Where's Huntley?' Alice coughed.

'Safe, hopefully with Hasdiel and Shamsiel.' Allegra helped Alice stand, for a moment admiring how beautiful she looked in the glom, glowing and wonderful. 'I sensed that hold on him. I'm sure I expelled it before we got pulled down here.' She looked fretful.

'What? What is it?' Alice checked herself, and was reassured by the fact that her sword (in the form of vintage ornament hanging on her belt) was still with her.

Allegra pressed her lips together. 'I'm also sure that Dominic and Schuyler got dragged too.' She saw the expression on her sister's face. 'We'll find them, don't worry.' She tried finding the link to Schuyler in the glom, but there was something clouding her vision, like a thick fog. It wasn't blocking her, exactly, but like fog, it stopped her from seeing anything, making it increasingly difficult to find her... 'This has to be Lucifer's doing,' she muttered. 'His minions, at least.'

Alice grumbled as she began to search for Dominic. 'Isn't it always?'

* * *

'Don't make this difficult, Raphael. Hand over the half-blood.'

Dominic had turned to his true form, blinding and beautiful, wings outstretched, sword blazing like a shining pillar of white, his hair streaming like ribbons of gold around his face. His voice, deeper and striking, shook through the glom. 'You will not have her, Asmodeus.'

Asmodeus drew his sword, the dark blade that had once gleamed silver, but was now stained blood-red, and smiled maliciously, when something rushed toward Schuyler, something fast with a sharp blade that sliced dangerously close to her cheek, and Schuyler had to lunge out of the way, when the clanging of swords rang out. She opened her eyes and saw above her Dominic's sword locked against another; a slimmer one, streaked with ebony. Its owner was a woman with raven hair and a thin, beautiful face. Her eyes were a cold, glassy green. The colour of frosted leaves. Schuyler sensed someone else reaching for her – Asmodeus – and used her speed to fling herself away.

'Oh, don't be shy baby, I'll make sure you enjoy your last moments before I drain you...'

His tone crept over Schuyler's skin like living rot, and she shuddered again, her hands scrabbling for purchase as she pulled herself up, the ribbon in her hair loosened and falling... Schuyler swiftly snatched it as it almost floated, suspended in space, then, as her fingers grazed the silk for a fraction of an instant, it shifted with a white flash into her mother's familiar sword. Stunned for another heartbeat, Schuyler suddenly raised it to defend herself, but Asmodeus' attention had left her as Dominic parried both his and the newcomer's blows. There was a moment when both their blades clashed against his at once, and they pushed against him.

'You're so cold to me, Raphael,' the woman teased, inching forward. 'Didn't you miss me?'

Dominic grunted and forced her and Asmodeus back. 'Don't try me, Sammael.' He let out a mighty roar and swung his sword arm so that he shoved Asmodeus and Sammael to the floor. In an instant, he was in front of Schuyler again.

_Schuyler, run! _he sent furiously. _Why are you still standing there?_

_I'm not going to leave you! _Schuyler sent back. _It's two on one!_

_I can handle the both of them. They're after __**you **__Schuyler! _

But Schuyler shook her head. She was tired of being protected like this, of having to cower away while else threw themselves in harm's way. She held tighter to her mother's sword, but her view was obstructed as Dominic's wings stretched out to shield her.

'Aw, isn't she a sweetheart?' Sammael cooed. 'She doesn't want to leave you behind. Sweet, but stupid. She must get that from the Red Blood. Gabrielle would never be so foolish.'

Schuyler struggled past the heavy mass of wing and yelled, 'You don't know anything about my mother!'

'Schuyler!' Dominic easily pushed her back with an arm and stepped in front of her again. He turned back to Sammael, now leaning casually on Asmodeus.

'Bet you're wondering how I got here,' Sammael said, slinging herself on Asmodeus, who grinned lecherously. 'Well... Do you want to tell him, Schuyler, or should I?'

Dominic's eyes narrowed, but he kept his gaze on the two dark angels. 'Schuyler, explain. _Now._'

'I – I don't know what she's talking about,' Schuyler said helplessly.

'Aw, the little mongrel doesn't remember me?' Sammael sounded hurt. 'I was there, that day at the Repository. I went after your friend, at first, but then I saw the mark - felt his presence within her. I knew Priscilla was about to uncover Forsyth, so she was obviously the best choice...' She examined her fingernails. 'I never thought Kingsley would actually do what that idiot Michael told him to.'

Schuyler realised as her stomach dropped and turned to lead. 'You're the Silver Blood that Kingsley summoned in New York!' Like her breath had been sucked out of her, she said, choking, 'You killed Priscilla Dupont.'

'Bingo!' Sammael chuckled softly. 'And now I'm going to kill _you._'

_

* * *

_

Kingsley! Kingsley! Can you hear me, you fathead? Alice called in the glom. If anyone could do long-distance glom work, it was her.

_Oh. Fathead. Harsh._

_Get down here, now!_

It took a minute or so before Kingsley appeared out of the dark, followed by a very disgruntled Mimi. 'Hello, love,' he said, kissing a scowling Alice on both cheeks. 'What's the trouble?'

Alice broke into a smile. 'Oh, um, let's see, my boyfriend and my niece are out lost somewhere, probably being attacked by God knows what.' Her smile turned upside down as she yelled, 'I THINK THAT CLASSIFIES AS TROUBLE!'

Kingsley nearly fell backward as Alice yelled into his face; she was currently being restrained by her sister. 'What do you mean?' he said, trying to clear one ear out. 'Why are you even down here?'

As she forced Alice to stay calm and still, Allegra relayed what had happened, projecting the very recent memory into his mind.

'...Oh,' said Kingsley. 'That's bad.'

'Thank you, Captain Obvious, now COULD YOU PLEASE GET FUCKING SERIOUS!' Alice roared, right before Allegra clamped a hand over her mouth.

'What she means to say is,' Allegra soothed, 'could you have a bit of scour around? We'd do it ourselves, but it seems we've been muffled out by our own connection. You're not linked to either of them, so maybe you can track them better than us.'

Alice wrestled out of her sister's grip, and glared at Mimi, who had been staring at her with one eyebrow raised. 'Gee, aren't you helpful?' Alice snorted.

But Allegra rubbed her back soothingly. Her sister was worried, incredibly so; even Kingsley knew that Alice's anger translated to anxiety.

* * *

'Lucifer was after Alice,' explained Asmodeus conversationally as Dominic held his protective stance and fierce expression. 'But when he found out she was particularly close to the half-blood, well... Priorities shifted again.'

'And now that there's only one damn Archangel to deal with,' Sammael said, sounding satisfied in every way, 'taking you will be a lot easier.' The next moment, she and Asmodeus came at Dominic, slashing and charging, but Dominic was quick enough to parry both their blows and push Schuyler backward, away from them. He matched their strikes – but Schuyler saw that he was being purely defensive. He didn't mean to kill either of them, only defend himself and her.

_Go, Schuyler!_

_No!_

_You must do as I say! _His voice in her mind was deep and resounding, and Schuyler thought the ground shook when he spoke. _Go now!_

_I'm not leaving you!_

Schuyler thought she sensed him smile a little, when Sammael swiped a hand toward her – but Dominic growled and tackled her away as he punched Asmodeus with the butt of his sword, and the dark angel staggered. Dominic seemed to tense, and he squared his shoulders, standing straight as his body rippled like a tower of gold.

'I will destroy you, if I have to.'

The other two ignored his warning, and came again, the three swords ringing out into the darkness of the glom, gleaming light clashing against blood-red and streaked silver, throwing shards of light across the black. Schuyler watched, helpless, afraid that if she tried to help she would end up caught or get Dominic hurt somehow, any of her former ideas of bravery now gone. There was a bloodthirsty glint in Asmodeus' eyes, the worst kind of malice rolling off of him, and each time Schuyler met his gaze she saw a flash of someone's pain, someone's torture. A maliciously disfigured boy, blood painting the dry ground as he swung from his eyelids, a tortured baby, crying out for its dead mother as its limbs were twisted, a woman screaming, shrieking as she was forced to the ground...

Schuyler thought she had known fear before – but she did not know that Asmodeus was Lucifer's most eager pupil, his most dedicated disciple next to Leviathan. He took joy in slicing open throats, burning flesh, was blissful in having a woman against her will, ecstatic in watching the pain drown out the life in an innocent's eyes... He would not only drain her – he would cause her to suffer in the worst ways before it.

Dominic caught them both; all three swords locked against each other, sparks exploding like fireworks in the dark, his own blade glowing. 'I will show mercy if you give up now,' he said darkly to the murderous faces of the two fallen angels. 'Turn away from the darkness, and the Almighty shall have mercy as well.'

Asmodeus let loose a bark of laughter, his sword still struggling against Dominic's. 'I _am _the darkness, brother! Our kind know not the true power of Lucifer! You should join _us!_'

Dominic's resolve grew stronger, and he met Sammael's eyes. 'And you,' he grunted, 'will you turn back to the light?'

Sammael blinked, suddenly looking unsure. 'He... He shall be merciful?' she asked, as Asmodeus looked furious.

'He's only saying that!' Asmodeous yelled. 'The Morningstar is mightier!'

'But...' Sammael let go of her sword, and it crashed to the floor, leaving Dominic's and Asmodeus' swords together. 'The Almighty had the power to cast us out of Paradise... Lucifer could not take Heaven back. Is that power, my love?' She put a hand on Asmodeus' taut shoulder, still locked into a stalemate with Dominic. 'Perhaps... Perhaps we should try to repent?'

Asmodeus roared, and with a frenzied rush, shoved Dominic away and pounced backward. 'You disgust me, Sammael! The Morningstar is our one true prince! He will bring us victory! Power! The _universe!_'

Sammael picked up her sword, and stared at it pensively. She slowly looked up to Dominic, a signal of peace, but Schuyler's eyes were on Asmodeus. He was like a caged beast, unsure who to kill first. His love who now spurned the dark? The blasted Archangel? Or the mongrel half-blood who held the fate of all Blue Bloods in her hands? They were the same to him, now. And then Schuyler saw it. Asmodeus, like the crack of a whip, tore towards Dominic while he walked peacefully toward Sammael. Schuyler raised the blade in her hands, and caught Asmodeus mid-flight as he was about to come down and thrust his sword into Dominic's back. A rush of adrenaline pounding through her, she stopped him, her mother's sword sinking through the dark angel's heart, but Dominic had seen it coming as well, and he raised his sword to block the blow, the sound of forged metal sounding bluntly as the two swords met above Dominic's head.

Just as Sammael plunged her own blade deep into Dominic's chest.

* * *

**Well, that's all for now, folks! I realise I may be causing you all to feel very, very frustrated with me by leaving that sort of cliffhanger for you... **

**Please review, lovelies :) **

**spiffy**


	28. Tea and A Biscuit

**High school exams are forever over! And so, to celebrate, I give you the next chapter! Now all that's left to do is wait for my results - painfully.**

* * *

A horrified, high-pitched scream ripped through the glom.

'Schuyler!' Alice and Allegra were like twin streaks of light racing through the darkness, honing in on the sound like missiles – but then it was quiet, and they slowed again, unsure which way to go.

'What happened?' Mimi asked as she and Kingsley caught up with them, quietly amazed at their speed. Fucking Archangels. Had to be better at everything, didn't they? She forgot her irritation as she saw Alice's expression.

'I don't know,' Alice said, her gorgeous face the most anxious Allegra had seen it. 'But...' Her sapphire eyes met Allegra's. _What if – what if – _

_Do not think that way, my sister, _Allegra soothed, although she too was distressed. And then she realised that the fog was gone. _Alice! Alice!_ She let Alice go and search for Dominic with her mind, and she in turn searched for Schuyler. There! 'Come on, this way!' She began to run, to fly through the darkness, and the other three followed her – when she stopped at the sight of her daughter staggering toward her. 'Schuyler!' She looked into her face – what had happened? Her expression was... Empty. Her face was white, her mouth trembling. Allegra took her in her arms, and Schuyler broke down, sobbing hysterically. 'Schuyler...'

'What happened?' asked Alice, kneeling down by them. 'Sky? Why did you scream?' And then her expression twisted in a way that told them all that something deep inside her was troubled. Like something had touched her heart with ice, caused ripples in the smooth, serene pond of her soul. Her voice was soft, almost hesitant when she asked, 'Where's Dominic?'

Schuyler shook her head. 'Oh, I'm sorry Alice, I'm so sorry...' she cried.

Alice tried to laugh. 'W-why is everyone saying sorry to me today? First Huntley and – and now you...'

Mimi gasped as the possibility dawned on her, and her chest tightened. Raphael was... He _couldn't _be...

'He's... He's gone... He tried to – and then she – but I got –' But Schuyler was inconsolable, completely unable to speak, choking on her tears. 'I'm so, so sorry!' She sobbed into her mother's shoulder; Allegra rocked her and tried to soothe her. Everyone was always protecting her, throwing themselves in harm's way for her, and when she tried to return the favour... Schuyler shrank in shame. Some saviour she was meant to be.

'No...' Alice shook her head. 'No...' He couldn't be – he couldn't be... 'I don't... I don't believe you,' she gasped, her breath strangled in her throat. She wouldn't believe it. Refused to believe it. She nearly fell backward with numbness as the chill in her heart spread, wrapping icy tendrils across her soul, but Kingsley swooped and caught her. 'No, no!' Alice let out a hysterical howl. 'No, it's not true, you're lying! You're lying!' She struggled to grab Schuyler by the shoulders and make her say it wasn't true, but Kingsley held her to his chest and smothered her cries as she rammed her fists against him. He held tighter, his face locked into something that Schuyler had never seen before. Like he had frozen his expression, else he break down as well.

'It's okay,' he whispered, his voice shaking, barely holding onto his composure. 'It's going to be all right...' He flinched when Alice's cries turned to mad howls and sobs, still fighting his hold. 'Shhh...'

Mimi watched Kingsley's face; she had never seen him like this. Not even when he had cast himself into Hell in New York. She could see his pain, _feel _it, but he was holding it all in so desperately for Alice... Mimi wasn't sure whether to crouch down and comfort them or to stay still; she was not as close to Raphael in this Expression. She looked at Allegra's face, and it was similar to Kingsley's; the pain was there, practically rolling off of her in waves, riddled across her face, but she was holding it together for Alice's sake.

Oh, Alice, Mimi thought. Her twin, her soul's half, her love – gone. All for that half-blood who would save their kind. Or so they said. She nearly jumped as Alice's cries grew.

Alice managed to pull away from Kingsley, and she crawled, like a baby, helpless and weak, to Allegra and Schuyler, and whispered, her voice unsteady from her crying, 'W-where is he?' Allegra wound an arm around her sister and kissed her forehead.

Schuyler lifted her head and swallowed, raising her hand to point in the direction she came.

'Shall we all go?' Allegra whispered gently. She knew Alice would not want to face it completely alone.

Alice nodded weakly.

* * *

He lay on the ground, face-up.

'Dominic...' Alice whispered. Beside her were Kingsley and Allegra. She shook her head, taking one shaky step and then another, and another, till she stared down into the lifeless face of her only love. And then her body crumpled, collapsing onto Dominic's dead body, and the sobs stabbed like knives into all their hearts.

'Dominic,' she whispered, her hands reaching to raise his head into her arms, 'D-Dominic...' She rocked back and forth, stroking his face, staring into his closed eyes. 'Wake up,' she pleaded brokenly, 'wake up...' She kissed his brow and all over his face, wetting it with her tears as she cried out loud enough for those beyond the glom to hear. His lifeless body slipped out from her arms and she threw herself over it, sobbing and whimpering, clutching at his garments. Alice's head flicked back as she let out an ear-splitting scream that was riddled with a thousand shades of pain – the scream of an angel. She coughed and spluttered, choking on her tears as Allegra, Schuyler, Mimi and Kingsley looked on, knowing that she would not let them leave the body behind. Once the waves of hysteria and sorrow had passed, then they would go back. There was Asmodeus' body a little farther away, and Kingsley went over to kick it viciously. His sorrow quickly transformed to anger.

'Fucking bastard, fucking Lucifer, fucking Croatan...' He didn't care that he was one too. That was the hard part about changing from a selfish, lonely asshole to one surrounded by people he loved and cared about; there was suddenly so much more at stake, so much more to lose. And the dark had just taken its first penalty. Kingsley's words were punctuated by harsh kicks to the ribs of the corrupted angel. 'You – evil – son – of – a – bitch!' Kingsley kicked him so hard the body flung away several feet, and just as he ran to follow it to continue his ministrations, Mimi appeared by his side and touched his arm. He suddenly grasped her, pulling her against him and burying his face in her shoulder, holding her so tight, but she didn't complain, only rubbing the back of his neck and letting him stifle his hurt.

'Wake up, Dominic,' Alice wailed, shaking him, 'wake up!' She fell down atop him again, her body trembling. She touched the wound in his chest, dark and... Whole? Alice carefully pried open his shirt; there was an ugly black mark in the centre of his chest, but there was no other signs of a wound. But he was dead – perhaps this was how Archangels died. She was now doomed to forever walk the earth without her love, her light, her soul. With a shaking reverence, Alice kissed where his heart would have been and nestled into his torso like a kitten, whimpering softly as she stroked his hand. At least she could now be rid of the guilt that had plagued her for millennia; he was returned to the Almighty, to his rightful place in Paradise. And yet, somehow... 'Don't leave me,' she whispered, begged, hoping that wherever he was – Heaven, limbo or anywhere else – he could hear her. 'Don't leave me...' She kissed his knuckles and each of his fingers, holding his palm to her face. 'Raphael...' Alice placed her cheek onto his chest, gently holding his hand in her own, her tears soaking his shirt. If she and Allegra had found them sooner, then maybe, just maybe... 'Why didn't you wait for me?' Her voice was so soft that she barely heard her own voice. She shut her eyes, willing it to all be a horrible dream, a cruel nightmare. 'Why didn't you just hold on a little longer?' Just a little goddamn longer, and she could have... Alice strangled a broken cry in her throat and coughed, spluttering, the wet of her tears forming a glistening sheen over her skin.

'Why so sad, angel?'

Alice's eyes flew open, and she sat up like a spring, staring down at Dominic's face, now smiling weakly through his obvious pain. 'D-D-Dominic?' she spluttered, the dark depths of her eyes lightening and widening as he stared up at her. His hand reached up to touch her face, and the floodgates opened; Alice let out a fresh sob, bending down to hug him so tightly she was sure she would never let go, pressing tender kisses all over his face and pulling him into her lap ('Ahh – ow – ouch! – easy, easy, darling!').

When Allegra came running with Schuyler, Dominic's head was nestled comfortably in Alice's arms, and then Mimi noticed the sudden change in the glom; she looked over, and tugged at Kingsley, still gripping her tight, so that he saw. Well aren't you a little trooper, Mimi thought with smile that reflected all the relief that flooded through her.

Schuyler knelt down and Alice let him go slightly so she could hug him. 'But – but I thought... Sammael...' She looked warily at the black mark, getting smaller and smaller by the moment, like spilled ink in reverse.

Dominic managed a nod, and he smiled when Alice stroked his face and kissed his brow again. 'Yes, she did. Hence my soreness.' He felt Alice's arms tighten, and he looked up and saw Kingsley, his eyes red, his face screwed up in earnest. 'Oh. Hello there.'

'You bastard!' Kingsley half-laughed, half-yelled. He went on one knee to see Dominic at his level. 'You scared the living shit out of me.' He pointed to Alice. 'And her.' But Kingsley smiled so broadly it threatened to crack the top of his head open.

'I thought Sammael - ' She cut herself off, paused, and touched Dominic's chest again. 'It was _Sammael's_ sword?' Alice said, to Schuyler's surprise, laughingly, her tears of joy still coming.

'I wasn't really thinking about it...' Schuyler said. 'I just thought he'd been – been...'

'Schuyler,' Dominic said softly, smiling at Allegra as well, 'there is only one thing that can truly destroy an Archangel.'

'The Black Fire?' Schuyler guessed.

Dominic shook his head, wincing as he did so. 'Not even that.' He shifted, and Alice moved to make him more comfortable. 'Only the blade of another Arc can harm my soul.'

'And Sammael...'

'Is not an Archangel,' finished Kingsley. 'Powerful, I grant you, but no Archangel.'

'What would an Archangel's sword do?' Schuyler asked.

'It's the only thing that could harm our spirits. In the right hands, it could destroy us. Once the physical passes, once the memories are no more, the only thing other than the Almighty that can hurt us are our own blades.' She kissed Dominic's face for the millionth time, but he wasn't complaining. Not in the slightest.

'So you – so you never...?'

Dominic shook his head, chuckling. 'It would be like trying to kill any Blue Blood with a gun or an axe. It'll have an effect, but it won't really harm us. I was knocked out from such a direct blow – an angel's sword, no less – and my body needed to heal the damage, but I was never really in any danger.' When Kingsley grinned, he added, 'But it hurts like hell.'

* * *

The Duke and Duchess, along with Huntley, had not suffered the misfortune of being dragged down into the glom, but they had meanwhile returned to the house, realising that they were somehow unable to access the glom at all.

'Where – where's Alice?' Huntley croaked, his thin body even bonier than usual, his skin a deathly white.

The Duchess tucked him in and kissed his forehead. 'She will come soon. Rest now.' Actually, she had no idea where her daughter was, but Allegra was with her, and so was Dominic. Or at least they should be, as they had all been pulled into the glom together. But she tried not to worry, at least for Huntley's sake. Her husband, however, was another matter. Once she closed the door behind her, she heard his harsh barking into his phone.

'What do you _mean_ there's nothing suspicious? My daughter has been missing for hours now, and you're telling me that we have _no _sign of any Croatan! Uriel can take care of herself? No – no, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to get over there, and shove a great big pineapple into your – '

'Sebastian,' the Duchess chided.

'...Into your... Your oven. Please call me if anything comes up. Have a good afternoon.' The Duke jabbed the hang-up button and threw his phone into the sofa. He pulled his wife into his arms and closed his eyes. _Please, Lord, let her be safe. Let them all be safe. _He felt his wife's slender fingers massage his shoulders, and he relaxed, if only a little. _Do what you wish to me, but keep her safe, _he prayed.

_It's going to be all right_, his wife sent.

_How do you know?_

The Duchess pulled away slightly and smiled softly, bracketing her husband's face in her hands. _I just do._ She would not – _could not – _believe that Uriel had been drained by the Silver Bloods. At that moment, their attention was diverted to the doorbell, and the tension in both their bodies eased as they sensed their daughter at the door. They raced to the front door, surprising Elena, and wrenched it open to find Alice and Allegra supporting a very worn, very tired-looking Dominic.

'Hello,' he said, smiling and saluting feebly. 'Sorry we missed the flight. Wouldn't happen to have tea and a biscuit, would you?'

* * *

'I must inform the Coven of this at once,' the Duke said firmly, after smothering his daughter in kisses and nearly force-feeding her tea and cake. Only his wife could ever say she had seen it, but he had been worried to pieces. His honey-gold hair was amuck, and his eyes were red-rimmed from spontaneous tears. He would vehemently deny the latter.

They were gathered in the front sitting room; Dominic was comfortably put up in the biggest armchair, supported by cushions and a cup of tea in his hands. How very English. There was good colour in his face now, and the mark on his chest completely gone.

The Duchess had accompanied Alice upstairs to see to Huntley; the poor boy was improving, but his body was still under an enormous amount of strain. They had so far figured out that he had been taken by the Silver Bloods and ruthlessly abused mentally till he cracked and had a sort of control in his head; it was why Alice had never been able to contact him through their vampire-Conduit link lately.

'Oh, Huntley,' Alice whispered, sitting down on the bed beside the sleeping boy, touching his hand. 'I don't even know if sorry is enough anymore.' Being her Conduit was dangerous stuff, more so, apparently, than most other vampires. But Huntley slept on.

'His father says he's been away looking for you,' the Duchess said, referring to her husband's Conduit. 'But it appears the reason he never found you was because he was taken.' Alice nodded, when her mother went on, 'Come, we must let him rest.'

* * *

Allegra shook her head. 'You really did have me going for a minute, Dominic.'

Although he smiled for a moment, Dominic's face turned apologetic. 'I'm sorry. I know I must have scared her.' He didn't need to say who he was talking about. He had felt her, that unbearable, agonising ache, the seemingly unending, overwhelming sorrow. He hadn't needed to hear her screams to know the heart that beat inside her had broken into countless pieces, and although for only a short while, Dominic felt his own heart break with every tear.

'I think scared might just be an understatement,' Allegra murmured, smoothing his hair away from his forehead. 'Charles would have never forgiven himself for not keeping you closer.' She did not elaborate on what she had felt in her sister. It was too painful. At the thought of her, Alice seemed to materialise in the doorway. She wordlessly hurried to Dominic's side and, although she thought she might hurt him, allowed him to pull her into his arms and nestle her in his lap. She pressed closer, like a shy kitten or a loving child.

Dominic met Allegra's eye, and as though understanding, she stood from the room and left, heading upstairs to check on Schuyler, who had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion.

_I almost lost you, _Alice sent, mirroring the words he had said to her in Florence. In both cases, there had been serious danger, but somehow, in the end, not really.

But her statement was not deflected. _I know. _Dominic drew her ever closer, and she responded eagerly, happy to just let him hold her, touch her; so she could reassure herself that he was real and that he was alive.

To have thought, to have well and truly thought that he was gone, and to have known that cold, merciless sorrow and pain, even for just a little while, made Alice hold onto every moment. It had seemed that they would have centuries, millennia, and aeons still ahead, and she had almost forgotten that there were still forces in the universe that could tear them apart. But now she made a prayer of silent thanks for every single second that passed and they were together, huddling in the warmth of his body, in his wonderful, familiar scent.

_I love you, _she sent, feeling somehow desperate to tell him, like she could never say it enough. _I love you so much._

Dominic gently lifted her chin upward with his fingers, his eyes the tenderest, most loving orbs of beautiful green she had ever seen. _And I you, Uriel. _He lovingly kissed her face, her eyes, her mouth. His life, his soul, his heart. _I love you. _More than any words, any language or gift could ever express. Not even he, Raphael, who had inspired the greatest words of love from the likes of Shakespeare and St. Paul, could ever truly show the nature of the love he had for Uriel. From his own love for Uriel, he had inspired such words that symbolised love for millions; 'Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum,' 'I'll follow you and make heaven out of hell,' 'Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore winged Cupid is painted blind.' A perfect love, the spirits in Heaven had once said.

How right they were.

Alice's eyes glittered with both love and tears, and yet in the fathomless, ever-beautiful blue Dominic saw his Uriel. _You do not write me poetry anymore, _she sent, somehow managing to tease him. While Raphael had been the maker of such beautiful words, it had been centuries since he himself in human form had put pen to paper for any sort of prose or poetry. She touched his mouth, her fingers gliding across his jaw, down his throat to his hand; she turned it over and kissed his palm softly. _Write for me again._

* * *

When Allegra came into the room, she found her daughter with a rapturous, joy-filled smile, her phone in her hands.

_You hadn't messaged in a while, _the message read, _so I was beginning to get worried. I hope you're having a wonderful time in London with your mother. It's quiet here, so far, and strange without you. Mimi and Kingsley had both disappeared – but in a good way, I think – for a few days. Father wasn't happy, but he didn't seem to be angry about it either. I wish I had gone with you. My heart beats differently when you're gone. I'll make this short, because I want you to get on with enjoying yourself again. You deserve it._

_All my love, my heart and my soul, Jack_

It was a text message, but read like a letter. Schuyler smiled and touched the screen, as though she could feel Jack somehow. It was so like him. She hadn't realised how much she missed him. The bed she lay in suddenly seemed so much emptier.

'Is it Jack?' her mother queried from the door.

Looking up, Schuyler nodded, and Allegra closed the door and slid into the bed beside her, stroking her hair.

'How are you feeling?' she asked as Schuyler put the phone away.

'Good. Still a little tired though.'

Allegra smiled that radiant smile, and Schuyler thought she was looking at Alice for a moment. 'Sleep a little longer, then,' her mother whispered, pressing a tender kiss on her head. 'I have a feeling we will not be leaving just yet.'

* * *

**Sooo, how many of you thought I had ACTUALLY killed Dominic off? Anyway, don't exhale just yet, we're not at the end of this story! **

**As usual, I'd like you to review, so... REVIEW! It makes me sad to think I write to ghosts.**

**spiffy xx**


	29. Epilogue

**I actually had this written up a while ago... Sorta forgot about it :P I bought Keys to the Repository and Misguided Angel this afternoon! Will read both soon...**

_**BUT WHATEVER YOU DO, PLEASE, PLEASE READ THE END NOTES. **_

_**I BEG OF YOU.**_

* * *

It was a gorgeous summer afternoon; sun-drenched and warm, the vivid green of the trees spilling dappled shade across cobblestone paths and courtyards. The air was fresh and smelled faintly of the last blooms and the sweet earth of the vineyards. In the Villa San Michele's reception hall, Jack Force swooped and swung Schuyler van Alen around in his arms, loving how she giggled and squealed.

'I missed you,' he told her, showering her in kisses. Anything longer than a moment without her was far too long. He held her face in his broad hands, fingertips grazing her jaw; his lips traced the curves of her mouth, and Jack had to stifle a groan when Schuyler let out a soft sigh. 'I missed you,' he said again, softer this time. _So much._

Schuyler slid her arms over his shoulders and about his neck, smiling. _Me too. _She felt his arms tighten about her; he'd been told what had happened in England.

_I understand Dominic's logic a lot better now, _Jack sent with a slightly pained grin.

_Oh? _Schuyler teased.

Jack nodded, pulling her ever closer and dropping a kiss on her forehead. _He's so reluctant to leave Alice because he's scared she'll somehow disappear. I can see why, now, knowing what happened to you, and to her._

Schuyler frowned. 'I'm still here, aren't I?'

'It could have been different,' Jack said softly. _If Dominic hadn't... It could have been different. You know it could have. _A fierce look of anxiety flitted across his handsome face, but then, he smiled.

_What?_ Schuyler asked, confused in every way.

_I'm going to take a page out of Dominic's book. _Jack looked utterly pleased. _I'm never leaving you alone. Not for a second. I'm not letting you out of my sight. _He kissed her, thoroughly, and then hugged her tight as his lips traced her ear. _There's no chance you're going to disappear on me, because if worse comes to worst and we can't help you being taken someplace, I'll grab you and hang on tight. _Jack lifted his head to let the green of his eyes search the blue of Schuyler's. _Wherever you go, I go. It's as simple as that._

_Wherever I go? _Schuyler raised a brow, smiling a little.

Jack responded with a grin. _Anywhere, anytime. _

Schuyler's blue eyes sparkled. _You can't protect me from everything, _she protested gently.

But Jack's grin only grew wider. _Oh, I think I just might._

_Not everything, surely? _Schuyler quipped, the sparkle in her eyes growing more mischievous.

At this, Jack took her face in his hands again and moved so close they were less than an inch apart. 'Everything and anything that could ever hurt you, harm you or make you sad,' he whispered. 'Anything that makes you cry; everything that can do any of these is my enemy, now and always.' Jack kissed her again, sliding his arms around her and lifting her off her feet.

'Get a room,' Mimi retorted haughtily as she passed by, Kingsley in tow like a joyful child. The other paid broke apart, but she continued pulling him along by the hand; he simply grinned and waved at Schuyler, despite being yanked along like a dog on a leash. He was happy to be, as long as Mimi was holding the other end. Hell, he'd be happy to be dragged along bound in rope across the floor, as long as she was the one binding and dragging.

'No, please,' he said eagerly, motioning for them to ignore the blonde vampire and to get on with the show, 'don't mind her! Continue!'

* * *

'I must say,' Charles chuckled as he adjusted his bowtie, peering into the mirror, 'this is somehow both expected and unexpected.'

'I couldn't agree more,' the Duke of St. Ives replied, his own tuxedo jacket lying across the back of the armchair he was sitting in. 'It is good to see you, Charles.'

'And on such a happy occasion,' the Duchess agreed happily as she glided into the room, looking ravishing in a pallid rose, floor-length chiffon. She greeted the senior man with a press of her cheek, and then moved to straighten her husband's tie and say, 'When you're done, wait in the foyer, won't you?'

The Duke and Charles nodded, and the Duchess floated out of the room, propelled on an unburstable, unquenchable, indestructible cloud of utter euphoria.

When the door shut behind her, Charles said, 'I understand your interests and investments are doing well.' A little business chat wouldn't hurt.

Chuckling, the Duke nodded. 'Indeed.' The Forces would be a valuable association to have, business-wise, as well as on other terms. But their conversation was interrupted again, when the door opened and a handsome pair of Jack and Kingsley, already dressed in their tuxedos, dashing as any romance novel heroes, stood in the doorway. Their suits, like Charles' and the Duke's, were impeccably tailored by Savile Row's finest. Dominic appeared behind them, fiddling with a cufflink.

'We're ready,' Jack said, just about glowing with happiness.

* * *

Schuyler looked herself over in the mirror, her own chiffon swishing like whispers across her feet. Thanks to London's most sought-after make-up artists who'd been called in with almost no notice (and had happily obliged upon hearing the occasion they were to be part of), she was as gorgeous as ever, and thanks to Frederic Fekkai himself, flown in from Paris, her hair gently curled in waves so that it swung as a silky black curtain across her ivory skin ('Your 'air az actually a very nice natural texture; we accentuate zat with a wavy sort of look, no?'). Her bashful admiration of herself was cut short when Mimi came through, stopping for a moment to assess her, her eyes going up and down. Schuyler raised her eyebrows.

'Can I help you?' she asked the taller girl. They were in a suite that the Villa had allocated as their dressing rooms.

'Hm.' Mimi sniffed in neither approval nor disapproval, and continued walking to where Alice, Allegra and the Duchess were. The youngest of the three sat in front of a vanity, in the fluffiest bathrobe in the world, her make-up just about done. Mimi sat down on a free chaise and examined her cuticles, trying to ignore the fact that she was about to knowingly allow someone be more gorgeous than she was. It wasn't _her _bonding, after all.

'All done, my dear,' Frederic said, brush in one hand, looking utterly pleased with himself, nodding at the other artists. Alice was his favourite client, mostly out of the fact that he actually liked her, rather than how much she paid – which wasn't too shabby either. She was young, she was beautiful, and she was so refreshing. A little earlier, he had collaborated with the team of stylists to agree on the look they were going for, and had consulted Alice.

Standing in the doorway, Schuyler smiled. She'd never been to a wedding – bonding – because the fiasco in New York could hardly count. At this bonding, the two bonds-to-be wanted to be here, wanted to be together. At this bonding, Schuyler was welcome, a wanted guest, and not only that, but she was a bondsmaid! Sitting on a sofa was her mother, who patted the spot beside her; Schuyler sat with her as they watched Alice disappear into the adjacent room to slip into her dress.

* * *

As Mimi was swept into Kingsley's arms in the foyer ('Hiya babe,'; 'Back off, you'll ruin my hair.'), Jack seemed to be stunned on the spot. His mouth was open, and Schuyler couldn't tell if it was out of shock or because he was smiling so broadly.

'Hey you,' Schuyler giggled, touching the lapel of Jack's dinner jacket. He looked so handsome, made even more so by the fact that his eyes were shining at her.

'You look...' Jack's vocabulary seemed to have disappeared until he shook his head, breathing out, 'Amazing.' His gaze softened and his kissed her cheek, having overcome his linguistic difficulties, and placed an arm securely and tenderly across her waist. He and Schuyler laughed when Kingsley tried to pull Mimi close, when she slapped his hand away and said like it was obvious, _'Dress!'_

Schuyler looked over at Dominic, standing regally like a prince by the entryway to the courtyard, the sun enrobing him and his perfectly cut suit in gold. He was facing away from them, his hands clasped behind his back. She shared a look with Jack, who nodded, and lifting her dress a little, made her way across the foyer, her heels surprisingly soft against the marble floor. Dominic turned, however, as though her shoes had made sound, looking over his shoulder with an affectionate smile on his face.

'Schuyler,' he said in greeting, as she came to stand beside him at the edge of the entryway, before his gaze returned out to the paved breezeway lined with white bouquets, then beyond, to the sun-filled garden terrace, the stone columns dressed in silk so thin it was transparent, and in winding blossoms. In the centre lay a long white pathway of cloth on the grass, littered with petals. Beyond that was a view of the lush, dark green of Tuscany surrounding the not too distant city of Florence. The hotel was sitting on a particularly large hillside, which allowed the glorious view. 'You look beautiful,' he added, with a brotherly grin.

Schuyler couldn't help a blush. She looked out as well, at the beautiful surroundings, before she said, 'I wanted to say thank you. For saving me, I mean.' She turned and looked up at him, so majestic, and yet so humble and kind. 'I know you said that you were never in any real danger, but... Things could have been different.' If it had been Lucifer himself, or if they had been dragged to Hell... 'So, thank you.' She sensed Dominic smile softly.

'I would rather eternal damnation and see you defeat the Silver Bloods, than to live and see them claim another soul.' Dominic's gaze was elsewhere, and Schuyler was sure he was staring at something that was not in the outside. 'Even if you weren't the one Sophia spoke of... I would have never let anything happen to you. You're very important to a lot of different people,' he said softly. 'But not because you're the key to defeating the Silver Bloods. Alice, Allegra, Jack... They all love you, more than you could ever know. And I would be lying if I said you weren't very dear to me as well.'

'But that's what gets me,' Schuyler said, crossing her arms. 'Everyone's always looking out for me, always trying to protect me, and regardless of why, I always feel...' She sighed, shifting. 'I feel so helpless. I'm supposed to be this powerhouse – '

'Which you are.'

' – but I'm not like you, or my mother, or even Alice or Jack. I have powers...' She unfolded her arms and looked at her hands; hands that had never known battle or war, had only very recently vanquished a foe. 'But I can only do so much.' Lawrence had been teaching her, but since then, she'd had a brief re-training with Rupert, and that was _not _going to help her fend off an army of Silver Bloods. It might not even help her stay alive, at this rate. She couldn't fight. She could use the glom fairly well, but it was nowhere near perfect. She was strong and fast, but... 'Basics are okay, but other than that...'

'We must continue your training, then,' Dominic said, chuckling. 'I'm sure once Charles rinses himself of that pride, he'd be more than happy to help you.' Alice had informed him of what she knew in Charles – and Dominic was not surprised. Not one bit.

'Charles?' Schuyler scoffed. He'd be more likely to keep her in a box till she was needed, rather than help her hone her powers.

'I know he seems cold...' Dominic sighed. 'But he wasn't always like that.'

'It's just me, I know,' Schuyler grumbled. Her mother had been Charles – _was _Charles' love and twin. She herself was the very result of the reason; as if Charles would help.

'Don't worry, he'll come around.'

He'd had seventeen years to come around, thought Schuyler. Why would he start now? He was busy with everything else, anyway. If she weren't the one that the Pistis Sophia had spoken of, she'd probably be dead thanks to him. Schuyler looked up when Dominic put a hand on her shoulder.

He was smiling, the colour of his eyes dancing somewhere between green and aqua in the light as though she had said something very amusing. 'You'd be surprised.'

* * *

They were assembled on the Villa's garden terrace, Schuyler, Mimi, the Duchess and Allegra in matching pale cerise chiffon dresses, while the men wore tuxedos. Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in E Largo began to play, and moments later, emerging from the shade of the breezeway, came the Duke, and on his arm, Alice. Frederic and the team of make-up artists had outdone themselves – or rather, underdone themselves. Alice was the most beautiful thing Schuyler had ever seen, flawlessly made-up; Frederic and the team of stylists had gone for the 'less is more' approach, and so there wasn't a spot of concealer or foundation of any kind, chiefly because her skin was luminescent as it was, but the barest hint of blush tinted her high cheek-bones. Fine gilded wisps of hair framed her face, but her hair was pulled back into an almost-casual-but-not bun, secured with the stems of a pair of white flowers, revealing her slender neck. Her lips were stained rose petals, and offset the lightly golden glow of her skin. The light kohl and brush of eye-shadow around her eyes had dramatised the blue, like the most vibrant blue diamonds, sparkling even in the distance, along with the actual blue diamonds in her Asprey earrings and pendant. She was stunning, and even Mimi's slight annoyance at being outshone fizzled out in sheer awe. Alice's dress was a custom-made Chanel creation, by the hand of Karl Lagerfeld himself. It was not like the fifty-yard creation of jacquard with ostrich feathers Mimi had worn that day in New York, but a one-shouldered dream of sea silk brocaded from its bottom hem. It was snowy, almost silvery white, and pooled gently on the ground in a sleek, silky flow.

Dominic, on the other hand, appeared as though he had been smacked in the face with an iron pan, smiling uncontrollably like an idiot, not daring to blink, eyes locked onto the girl coming up the silken white sheet on the ground, but as she came toward him, their gazes met, and Dominic's face instantly changed to familiar affection, a tender smile curving his mouth, the green of his eyes softening.

_Uriel, _he sent. _My love._ Meanwhile, beside him, Kingsley winked slyly at Mimi across the way, and she smirked; Schuyler was beaming next to her, and Jack grinned back at her as he stood beside Kingsley, glad to see her so happy. Sitting on the few silk-covered chairs were the Duchess, Allegra, and Charles. The Duke kissed Alice on both cheeks, and then her forehead before he left for his seat beside the Duchess. As Dominic took Alice's hands in his, he kissed them tenderly.

* * *

The footman sprinted through the hall, down the steps and leaped to the waiting Maserati, where the back window slid down. A darkly tanned, strikingly handsome man with sleek black hair crooked two fingers, and the footman came closer, panting. A rapidly spoken, hushed exchange occurred. The man nodded, listening keenly.

'Hm. _Bene, Roberto. Molto bene.' _He reached into his tailored blazer and pulled out enough Euros to cover the footman's monthly earnings.

'_Grazie, Signor Riccardi. Mille grazie,' _the footman stammered as he backed away, bowing as though he were in the presence of royalty.

But the man in the Maserati chuckled. _'Prego.' _He motioned for his driver, and the car growled to life and drove down the hill. As they moved through the streets, he reached for the car phone and dialled.

'Good afternoon, Averardo,' the woman on the other end greeted.

'_Buonasera, _Countess.'

'That Italian of yours is as charming as ever.' The Countess laughed softly. 'What news have you for me, my friend?'

Averardo's smirking mouth drew to pursed line. 'I believe we have let them go too far.'

'Oh?'

'Uriel and Raphael have bonded.'

The Countess' smile faded, and she was silent for a while. 'How could you let that happen? I thought you said you had an eye on their every move!' Her tone grew cold. 'I expected you to be able to handle the task considering you're on your own home ground!'

'I didn't know, Isabelle. It seems that there are many with loyalties to the damned Anstruther-Blacks. I am not sure anyone is safe from their influence, after Sebastian revealed the true state of their interests. Besides, I thought you said Sammael would take care of the half-blood,' he countered smoothly. 'Is she losing her touch?'

'She would not take that kindly, Botis.' The Countess sighed, shaking her head. 'But very well. We cannot change what has happened now. We must continue our work.'

'I do not think they will remain in Florence much longer,' Averardo confessed.

'I did not think they would. They will return to New York.'

'And then what shall we do? Forsyth has fled; I cannot believe he is truly the reincarnate of a de Medici. His cowardice does not run in my bloodline. Malakai has become far too weak.'

'Ah, yes, Forsyth is Malakai reborn, I remember now. The Llewellyns,' the Countess said curtly, like the name had a bad taste, 'are no longer an asset to us, nor our cause. Once, they harboured the key to the Morningstar's return. As Naevius Macro in Rome, as a de Medici in Florence... I have my agents scouring the earth for him and Andela. They will be made to pay for their failures.'

Averardo chuckled satisfactorily. 'Do you not think it ironic, dear Isabelle, how a guardian family of the Seven brought forth and raised the Morningstar's child undetected all those years ago?'

'Well,' she laughed softly in reply, 'Michael has always been blind as well as stupid. Indeed, I think we are fortunate that Uriel has not gained full control of her powers. Very fortunate that she has not mastered all her powers, and that she is not yet of age. I would almost say the Almighty was on our side; even Gabrielle appears too preoccupied with that filthy half-breed of hers.'

'Hm.' Averardo paused, before saying slowly, 'Tell me, my friend. Why did you reveal Uriel and Raphael's existence to Abbadon and the girl? Surely, you have made our task far more difficult in allowing the Uncorrupted to reunite. You know their powers are beyond any other when together, and are unparalleled should the Holy Seven ever come together again.'

The Countess spoke as though she were speaking about something less sobering. 'The Morningstar cannot be alone when he rules, my friend. He will have the Sisters of the Light for himself – you know his desire for them. He shall rule over Heaven and earth, and to appease his wishes he shall have the greatest prizes of them all.'

'If he desired mere concubines,' Averardo muttered, 'then I could think of many of our kind who would be willing. Sammael, for one.'

'Quiet,' the Countess said coldly. 'The Morningstar desires – _deserves – _the Twin Sisters of Heaven. They will be more than his companions. They shall be his Queens, his Mistresses, his trophies of victory. They will provide more than mere amusement – they will be his own.'

'Are you not envious, Isabelle?'

'I will bow to my master, as should you,' the Countess observed. 'If he desires me as anything, he need only say so. The true Prince of Heaven must have the true Princesses, after all.'

'Indeed.' Although, Averardo could not help feel irritated that _he _didn't get a share of Heaven's greatest spoils.

There were _two _Sisters, after all.

'The Sisters of the White belong to Lucifer,' the Countess warned. 'They are his, and his alone.' Her tone suddenly grew mocking. 'Besides, even if the Morningstar allowed you to take one, they'd easily destroy you before even came near.'

* * *

**THE END!**

**Or is it?**

**Of course not! I have a prequel (mostly done already) and a sequel (already planned out) in the works. The prequel will focus on Uriel and Raphael before Schuyler and after Gabrielle and Michael's departure; how they came to be the way they are. The sequel will mainly be what I have theorised for the future of Blue Bloods after taking into consideration. **

**Some of my theories include features of this fic, like the involvement of the de Medici family. You cannot have Florence as a Blue Blood haven and NOT have the de Medici family, historically the most powerful and wealthy family from the region. The Shanghai Gate is also a theory of mine. **

**I shall find out if I'm inching to the canon, or if my imagination has seriously gone into overdrive, when I read the books tonight! And Misguided Angel is likely to get me to slightly change the plot I have planned for the sequel.**

**_SEQUEL:  
_This definitely revolves more evenly around the characters. I know I gravitated towards Alice and Dominic in this one. Schuyler will DEFINITELY have a more active, less wallflower-in-awe role. I promise! **

_**PREQUEL:  
**_**So like I said, Raphael and Uriel before Schuyler, and after the splitting of the Coven. Because I love my OC's more than is at all wise.**

**Please review - we're at the end of this fic now, so if you haven't, better late than never. If you have, I know you'll try to appease me because I'm a spoiled little writer who is a glutton for knowing she is heard and read. **

**Till the next instalment (possibly within the week, depending on how many reviews I get)!**

**spiffy xx**


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